Trump Announces Permanent Pause on Migration From Third-World Countries

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced sweeping new immigration measures, saying his administration will “permanently pause” migration from what he called “third world” countries and deport foreign nationals deemed a “security risk”, after the killing of a National Guard member by an Afghan national. According to PTI, the White House framed the steps as a major escalation of its crackdown on immigration following the shooting in Washington.

Trump said the government would carry out a “rigorous” re-examination of all Green Cards issued to immigrants from “every country of concern”, a move that PTI reported comes in direct response to the fatal shooting of US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and the critical wounding of US Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, arrived in the United States under ‘Operation Allies Welcome’, a Biden-era programme for Afghans evacuated after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.” He added that his administration would end all federal benefits for noncitizens, “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilisation”.

Reported PTI, Trump argued that these measures aim at reducing what he described as “illegal and disruptive populations”, including those he claims entered the US through an “unauthorised and illegal Autopen approval process”. He again repeated his call for “REVERSE MIGRATION”, ending his post with, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!”

Trump had announced on Thursday, during a Thanksgiving call with service members, that Beckstrom had died of her injuries. Wolfe remains in critical condition.

In another post, Trump sharply criticised political leaders and policies he said had allowed immigration to “divide” and “disrupt” the country. He claimed the United States’ “foreign population stands at 53 million people, most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels”. He also said a migrant with a Green Card earning USD 30,000 a year receives “roughly USD 50,000 in yearly benefits for their family”.

According to PTI, Trump further argued that the “real migrant population is much higher” and blamed refugees for “failed schools, high crime, urban decay, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages, and large deficits”. He singled out Somali refugees in Minnesota, saying they are “completely taking over” the state, and attacked Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, calling her someone who “does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country”.

Trump also posted an image of Afghan evacuees packed into a US military aircraft during the 2021 airlift, writing, “This is part of the horrendous airlift from Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into our Country totally unvetted and unchecked.”

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said he has “directed a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern”. He added, “The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”

The updated guidance took effect on 27 November 2025 and applies to all pending or newly filed requests. The USCIS said it will now allow “negative, country-specific factors” to be used in vetting applicants from 19 countries identified as high-risk: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen. PTI reported that these are the same countries listed in a travel ban Trump issued in June under the proclamation titled ‘Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats’.

The agency said the change follows the administration’s halt to Afghan refugee resettlement and entry in its first year in office. Edlow said his responsibility was to ensure “every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. This includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why.” He said the shooting underscores his argument that the Biden administration “dismantled basic vetting and screening standards” and that the new guidance will allow officers to more effectively assess potential threats.

Trump described the shooting as a “terrorist attack”. Responding to a question about reports that Lakanwal had worked with the CIA and been vetted, Trump said, “The person went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts. And that happens too often with these people.”

(With inputs from PTI)