Donald Trump has said he will 'permanently pause migration' to the US from all 'third world countries'. The US president wrote in a Truth Social post that the decision would 'allow the US system to fully recover' from immigration policies that had eroded the 'gains and living conditions' of many Americans. He did not provide details of his plan or name which countries might be affected.
Trump's comments come a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington DC, one of whom has died. This and other announcements after the attack represent a further toughening of Trump's stance towards immigration, which has long been one of his key issues.
Trump previously said Wednesday's shooting in Washington DC underlined a major national security threat and promised to take steps to remove any foreigner 'from any country who does not belong here'. The same day, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, stating the decision was made pending a review of 'security and vetting protocols'.
Then on Thursday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the US from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.
Trump's latest post on Thursday night went further, pledging to 'end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens'. The president also blamed refugees for causing the 'social dysfunction in America' and vowed to remove 'anyone who is not a net asset' to the US.
The flurry of announcements comes after officials revealed that the suspect in the Washington DC shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, came to the US in 2021 under a program that offered special immigration protections to Afghans who had worked with US forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. This situation has raised fears of retribution against those who cooperated with the US as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Lakanwal, who previously worked alongside the CIA in Afghanistan, had applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted earlier this year.
Trump described the attack as an 'act of terror'. He had already imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan and 11 other countries earlier this year. A number of majority-Muslim countries also faced a travel ban during Trump's first presidency.
Trump's comments come a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington DC, one of whom has died. This and other announcements after the attack represent a further toughening of Trump's stance towards immigration, which has long been one of his key issues.
Trump previously said Wednesday's shooting in Washington DC underlined a major national security threat and promised to take steps to remove any foreigner 'from any country who does not belong here'. The same day, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, stating the decision was made pending a review of 'security and vetting protocols'.
Then on Thursday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the US from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.
Trump's latest post on Thursday night went further, pledging to 'end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens'. The president also blamed refugees for causing the 'social dysfunction in America' and vowed to remove 'anyone who is not a net asset' to the US.
The flurry of announcements comes after officials revealed that the suspect in the Washington DC shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, came to the US in 2021 under a program that offered special immigration protections to Afghans who had worked with US forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. This situation has raised fears of retribution against those who cooperated with the US as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Lakanwal, who previously worked alongside the CIA in Afghanistan, had applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted earlier this year.
Trump described the attack as an 'act of terror'. He had already imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan and 11 other countries earlier this year. A number of majority-Muslim countries also faced a travel ban during Trump's first presidency.
