'Will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries': Trump vows reverse migration in US

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a sweeping reset of America’s migration framework, saying his administration would move to permanently stop immigration from what he described as “Third World countries.” The declaration came hours after one of two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House by an Afghan national died of injuries, prompting a deeper federal review of the residency status of immigrants from 19 nations.

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 also said the US would end federal benefits and subsidies for “noncitizens,” adding that he would “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western civilisation.”

The term “Third World countries” is a broad, loosely defined label referring to low- and middle-income developing nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and parts of Oceania.

According to Trump, the new restrictions will target “illegal and disruptive populations,” including individuals who he alleged entered under an “unauthorised and unlawful Autopen approval process.”

Announcement post Washington DC attack

The announcement followed Thursday’s attack near the White House, where an Afghan refugee opened fire on two National Guard soldiers. Trump termed it a “heinous assault” and “an act of terror.”

A day later, in a longer social media statement, he wrote, “This refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America, something that did not exist after World War II.” He added, “Even as we have progressed technologically, Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many.” According to him, “Only reverse migration can fully cure this situation.”

Following the shooting, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Trump had ordered a “full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

The list includes 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. These are the same countries covered under a travel ban Trump announced in June this year.

In a parallel directive, the administration also suspended processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan with immediate effect.