Trump Proposes Permanent Pause on Migration from 'Third World Countries'

Fri Nov 28 2025 20:22:28 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a controversial announcement, President Trump suggests a permanent halt on migration from countries deemed 'third world' to recover from previous immigration policies. This move follows a tragic shooting incident involving an Afghan national.

Donald Trump has announced plans to 'permanently pause migration' to the US from countries he categorizes as 'third world'. The decision, conveyed through a post on Truth Social, aims to recover from what he describes as detrimental immigration policies. This declaration coincides with a recent shooting incident involving an Afghan national, leading the President to assert a tougher immigration stance, including a suspension of immigration processing from specific countries and a potential re-examination of green cards.

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 of all immigration requests from Afghans, saying 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.

When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included 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. He blamed refugees for causing the social dysfunction in America and vowed to remove anyone who is not a net asset to the US.

This recent change comes after officials reported that the suspect in the Washington shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the US in 2021 under a program designed for Afghans assisting US forces during their military operations. Lakanwal had collaborated with the CIA in Afghanistan, indicating a complex backdrop to his immigration status.

Trump had previously imposed a travel ban on nationals from Afghanistan and 11 other countries earlier this year, continuing a trend from his first presidency that affected a number of predominantly Muslim nations.

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