U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, November 27, 2025, announced plans to “permanently pause” migration from what he called “Third World Countries,” a sweeping declaration that follows a deadly ambush near the White House that killed a National Guard member and critically injured another.
The announcement—made on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social—intensifies the administration’s rapid tightening of immigration policy in the days since investigators identified the alleged shooter as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden-era resettlement program.
Trump did not clarify which nations fall under the label “Third World Countries,” nor what “permanently pause” would mean in practice. But he emphasized that the plan would extend to cases approved under former President Joe Biden, signaling a retroactive sweep through years of immigration files.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover… and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” Trump wrote.
A Hardline Shift — and a Broad Net
The president’s declaration marks one of his most expansive proposals to date. Beyond halting migration, Trump said he would cut federal benefits to “non-citizens,” launch denaturalization efforts against migrants who “undermine domestic tranquility,” and deport anyone deemed a public charge, security risk, or “non-compatible with Western civilization.”
The White House and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Human rights organizations and U.N. officials urged the administration to uphold America’s international obligations.
“They are entitled to protection under international law, and that should be given due process,” U.N. spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.
A Deadly Attack Sparks a Political Flashpoint
The policy shift came one day after National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died in a shooting near the White House. Another Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized “fighting for his life,” Trump said.
Officials identified the alleged shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. According to a U.S. government file reviewed by Reuters, he was granted asylum this year under Trump’s own administration. Lakanwal originally entered the U.S. via a resettlement program launched after the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
That detail complicates the political narrative—but has not slowed the administration’s momentum. On Wednesday, USCIS halted all immigration case processing for Afghan nationals, an indefinite freeze.
Trump has also ordered a broad review of asylum approvals under Biden and green cards issued to citizens of 19 unspecified countries—an initiative DHS officials say is already underway.
“Reverse Migration”: Trump Expands the Frame
Trump used the incident to push a broader immigration overhaul targeting both legal and unauthorized migration.
“Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” he declared—signaling a push not only to restrict new arrivals but to significantly expand deportations.
Deportation activity has surged under his administration. According to ICE data, more than two-thirds of the 53,000 migrants currently detained have no criminal convictions—a figure immigration attorneys say reflects a shift toward population-wide enforcement rather than targeted removals.
Commentary: A Policy Turning Point With Global Consequences
Trump’s announcement is politically explosive, legally untested, and diplomatically fraught.
A blanket pause on migration from dozens of countries—particularly framed with Cold War-era language—would reshape U.S. immigration policy more dramatically than any measure since the travel bans of the 2010s. It also risks collateral damage: families in mid-process, long-term residents awaiting green card renewals, and asylum seekers fleeing conflict zones.
For now, the administration appears focused on projecting decisiveness following a high-profile tragedy. But the ripple effects—across communities, courts, and America’s global reputation—are only beginning.
Whether Trump’s sweeping declarations become enforceable policy will depend on legal battles still to come. What’s already certain is that the political fallout from one violent incident is reshaping the national debate on immigration in real time.
