Trump to 'permanently pause' migration from 'all third world' countries

President Donald Trump announced sweeping plans to crack down on immigration, saying current policy has eroded national progress and that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover.”

In a pair of Truth Social posts late Thursday night in Washington, Trump said he would terminate “millions” of admissions under his predecessor Joe Biden, “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country” and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” He added that he would also end all federal benefits for non-citizens.

“These goals will be pursued with the aim of achieving a major reduction in illegal and disruptive populations, including those admitted through an unauthorized and illegal Autopen approval process,” Trump said, using a reference to the Biden administration. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”

Trump didn’t provide any specifics on how he would seek to implement these policies or what would constitute a “third world” country, an ill-defined and offensive term typically used to refer to developing nations. Congress has failed for years to pass any significant reform to country’s immigration laws, and courts have rebuffed some of his executive orders aimed at curtailing immigration.

The post followed an attack Wednesday on two National Guard members in the capital by an Afghan national. Earlier in the day, the president had announced the death of one of the guardsman, US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20.

Trump has used the assault to amplify his administration’s anti-immigration policies. The White House had already expanded its immigration crackdown in the aftermath of the shooting, including halting reviews of Afghan immigration proceedings and ordering a review of those already in the US.

The administration had already planned to review the cases of all refugees resettled under Biden and freeze their green card applications, according to a memo earlier this month reviewed by Bloomberg.

On Thursday, Joseph Edlow, the head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a social media post that his agency — under Trump’s orders — is conducting “a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

The White House in June announced a ban on immigration from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and Sudan, and restrictions on seven others. In his first term, Trump barred travelers from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Trump has taken an aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, including deploying teams of agents into cities often over the objections of local authorities and in the face of claims that officials are wrongfully deporting migrants in violation of court orders and other legal protections.

The administration has also severely lowered the cap on refugees it admits, ended temporary protected status for migrants from many countries, imposed a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas, which are used by tech companies and universities for high-skilled workers, and revoked thousands of visas. It’s also challenging the constitutional right to birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

Upon entering office again, Trump signed an executive order halting all refugee admission, which was promptly challenged in court. An appeals court allowed new admissions to be paused as the litigation continues, but ordered the government to provide services to refugees who already had arrived.

The US has admitted more than 190,000 Afghans since the 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban, mostly those who assisted US forces and their families during the war.