Trump Pledges 'Permanent Pause' on Migration from Third-World Countries

The action follows a deadly D.C. shooting blamed on an Afghan national and includes a review of thousands of Green Cards and suspended Afghan immigration processing

President Donald Trump has threatened a significant escalation in his immigration policies, vowing to "permanently pause migration" to the U.S. from all nations he labels as "third-world countries." The president voiced his frustration over the nation's "refugee burden" in a social media post that follows the fatal shooting of a U.S. National Guard member in Washington D.C., in which an Afghan national has been blamed for the killing.

Trump offered no immediate details on which countries such a plan would affect, although the proposal is expected to face legal challenges and has already drawn criticism from United Nations agencies.

The president's announcements following Wednesday's deadly attack further toughen his administration's stance on migrants during his second term. Previous initiatives have included seeking mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, drastically reducing the annual cap on refugee admissions, and attempting to end birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil.

In the immediate aftermath of the D.C. shooting, Trump promised to remove any foreigner "from any country who does not belong here." On the same day, the Government suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals, citing a necessary review of "security and vetting protocols."

Green Card Review and Benefit Cuts

On Thursday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it would re-examine Green Cards issued to individuals who have migrated to the U.S. from different countries. The agency did not connect this review to Wednesday's attack; when queried by the BBC, USCIS referred to a June White House proclamation listing countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.

Details of the scope of this re-examination remain unclear.

On Thursday night, President Trump pledged to "end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens."

Writing on Truth Social, the president claimed this action would "allow the U.S. system to fully recover" from policies that he argued have hurt the "gains and living conditions" of many Americans. He also blamed refugees for causing "social dysfunction in America" and promised to deport "anyone who is not a net asset" to the U.S.

The post, introduced as a "Happy Thanksgiving salutation," used anti-immigrant rhetoric. It claimed that "hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia were brought to the once great State of Minnesota," where he criticized Democratic lawmakers.

The President stated: "I will permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover." The term "third world" is a historical phrase generally used to describe poorer, developing nations.

Previous Travel Bans and International Response

Neither the White House nor USCIS has provided specifics on Trump's proposed pause; however, the president did not explicitly link it to the attack.

This year, the president had already imposed a travel ban on nationals from Afghanistan and 11 other countries, primarily in Africa and Asia, as well as several Muslim nations.

The UN reacted to Trump's latest remarks by urging his administration to comply with international agreements on asylum seekers. "We expect all countries, including the United States, to honor their commitments under the 1953 Refugee Convention," the deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general told Reuters.

Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, characterized Trump's response as "scapegoating" migrants. He also stated on the BBC World Service's Newsday program that the attacker's motive was still unknown. "These types of issues—they don't know skin color, they don't know nationality," he said. "When a person becomes radicalized or is suffering some type of mental illness, that person can come from any background."

The policy announcements follow confirmation from officials that the suspect in the Washington D.C. shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021. He arrived under a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)-style program for Afghans who had worked with U.S. forces following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Further details are emerging about Lakanwal's work with Americans. The current CIA director has confirmed that Lakanwal previously worked with the agency. A former military commander who served with him told the BBC that Lakanwal helped guard U.S. forces at the Kabul airport during the evacuation as the Taliban took control.

Recruited nine years prior, the father of five was part of Unit 03 of the Kandahar Strike Force, known locally as the Scorpion Forces, which initially operated under the CIA before being transferred to the Afghan intelligence department (the National Directorate of Security). The former commander described Lakanwal, a GPS tracker specialist, as a "sporty and jolly character."

According to a senior U.S. official speaking to CNN, Lakanwal would have been vetted by the U.S. when he began working with the CIA and again upon his eventual travel to the U.S. A childhood friend informed The New York Times that Lakanwal experienced mental health issues following his unit service. He applied for asylum in 2024, which was reportedly granted earlier this year after Trump returned to office.

A Homeland Security official told CBS that Lakanwal's Green Card application, which is tied to the asylum grant, is still pending. His arrest followed the attack, and he is reportedly not cooperating with authorities. Trump described the incident as an "act of terror."

Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, was serving in the city as part of Trump’s deployment of National Guard members to combat crime. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had volunteered to work in D.C. over the Thanksgiving holiday. The second Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, is "fighting for his life," according to the president.