US President Trump has declared that he intends to “permanently pause migration” to the United States from what he described as “third world countries”. The statement came through a post on Truth Social where Trump argued that such a move would help the country’s immigration system recover from previous policies that he said weakened economic progress and damaged the living conditions of many Americans. He did not specify which nations would fall under this plan or outline any formal details. The announcement followed a deadly shooting in Washington DC involving two members of the National Guard. The accused suspect is an Afghan national, and one of the guards, Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries. Trump cited the incident as evidence of what he described as a significant national security risk tied to the current immigration system. In response to the shooting, Trump pledged to remove from the United States any foreign national who, in his words, did not belong in the country. Shortly after this statement, the government suspended the processing of all immigration applications from Afghans. Officials said the pause was necessary for a review of security and vetting procedures.
US to Halt Migration as Trump Targets Third-World Countries in New Policy
Later, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services revealed that it would begin re-examining green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries. While the agency did not directly link this action to the attack in Washington DC, it pointed to a proclamation from June listing several nations including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela. The agency did not clarify what the re-examination process would involve. Trump’s comments escalated later that evening through a two-part holiday message in which he promised to remove all federal benefits and subsidies for noncitizens. He also accused refugees of contributing to what he described as growing social challenges across the country. In the same message, Trump vowed to remove anyone he deemed not to be an asset to the United States. He singled out Minnesota saying that refugees from Somalia had significantly changed the demographic landscape of the state. He repeated his intention to halt all migration from what he called Third World Countries until the US system recovered. The term refers to historically developing or less economically advanced nations but is considered outdated by many analysts.
The White House and immigration authorities have not released additional information explaining how Trump’s proposed migration pause would be implemented. Earlier in the year, the administration imposed a travel restriction affecting nationals of Afghanistan and several other nations across Africa and Asia. This comes alongside another travel ban targeting multiple Muslim majority countries which Trump had enacted during his first term. Legal experts have expressed concern about Trump’s approach. Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, described the response as scapegoating and stressed that motives behind violent acts cannot be predicted by nationality or background. Authorities reported that the suspect in the Washington DC shooting had come to the US in 2021 under a programme designed to protect Afghans who assisted US forces after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Officials said the suspect previously worked alongside the CIA and was granted asylum earlier this year. He was arrested after the attack and has reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators. Trump labelled the shooting an act of terror and confirmed the death of Beckstrom while noting that the second injured guard, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.
source: BBC
