Trump says US will ‘permanently pause migration’ from ‘third world countries’

Donald Trump said he would “permanently stop immigration” to the United States from all “third world countries.”

The US President wrote in a post on the Truth Social website that the decision “will allow the US system to fully recover” from immigration policies that have eroded the “earnings and living conditions” of many Americans. He did not provide details about his plan or the name of the countries that might be affected.

Trump’s comments come a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., leading to the death of one of them.

This ad and others after the attack represent a further hardening of Trump’s stance on immigration, which has long been one of his key issues.

Trump previously said Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, D.C., highlights a significant threat to national security and promised to take steps to remove any foreigner “from any country that doesn’t belong here.”

On the same day, the United States suspended the processing of all immigration applications from Afghans, saying the decision was made pending a review of “security and vetting protocols.”

Then on Thursday, USCIS said it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the United States from 19 countries.

When the BBC asked which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a White House announcement in June that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.

There were no further details about what the re-examination would look like.

Trump’s last post on Thursday night went further, pledging to “end all federal benefits and subsidies to non-citizens.”

The president also blamed refugees for causing America’s “social dysfunction” and vowed to deport “anyone who is not a net asset” to the United States.

The flurry of announcements comes after officials said Washington, D.C., shooting suspect Rehmanullah Lakkanwal came to the United States in 2021 under a program that provides special immigration protection to Afghans who worked with U.S. forces following their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

At that time, the Taliban had regained control of Afghanistan, raising fears of retaliation against those who cooperated with the United States.

Agency Director John Ratcliffe said Lakhanwal once worked alongside the CIA in Afghanistan.

An official told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, that Lakhanwal applied for asylum in 2024, and his application was accepted earlier this year.

Trump described the attack as a “terrorist act.”

It had already imposed a travel ban on citizens of Afghanistan – and 11 other countries, mostly in Africa and Asia – earlier this year.

A number of Muslim-majority countries also faced travel bans during Trump’s first presidency.