President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping new immigration policy following a deadly attack near the White House that has shaken the nation.
On Thursday, President Trump declared that his administration will “permanently pause” migration from all so-called “Third World Countries.” This dramatic move comes in the wake of the tragic shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., an attack reportedly carried out by an Afghan national who entered the United States under a resettlement program in 2021.
The President did not specify which countries fall under this broad classification or clarify the precise meaning of “permanently pause.” However, he emphasized that the freeze would include immigration cases approved under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
In a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said, “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. 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.”
Trump also pledged to end federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens, to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility,” and deport those deemed public charges, security risks, or “non-compatible with Western civilization.”
So far, the White House and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have not responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged the U.S. to continue honoring international refugee commitments, reminding all nations, including the U.S., of their obligations under the 1953 Refugee Convention. The UN emphasized that asylum seekers must be afforded due process under international law.
This announcement follows the death of 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot in the recent ambush. Fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolfe remains critically injured, according to the President.
Department of Homeland Security officials have revealed that President Trump has ordered a broad review of asylum applications approved during the Biden administration, as well as Green Cards issued to citizens from 19 countries.
The alleged attacker, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was granted asylum this year — ironically under the Trump administration. He had arrived through a resettlement program initiated after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which followed the Taliban’s return to power.
In earlier comments, President Trump claimed that hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan without proper vetting, describing the evacuation as “horrendous” and “unchecked.” In response, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has suspended all immigration processing related to Afghan nationals indefinitely.
President Trump also reiterated his commitment to what he calls “reverse migration,” asserting that reducing “illegal and disruptive populations” is key to solving the immigration crisis.
Though the attacker entered the country legally, the incident has intensified Trump’s crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration. His administration has already increased immigration enforcement efforts, deploying additional officers to major cities and reaching record levels of deportations — many involving long-term residents with no criminal records.
Recent statistics show that over two-thirds of the roughly 53,000 individuals arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as of mid-November had no criminal convictions.
We will continue to monitor developments as this new immigration policy unfolds.
Reporting by Kathy Moore.
