United States President Donald Trump has intensified his immigration crackdown, declaring a “permanent pause” on migration from what he called “all Third World Countries” following a deadly shooting involving two National Guard members in Washington, DC.
The announcement came after an Afghan national was identified as the prime suspect in Wednesday’s attack, which left one Guard member dead and another injured.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He did not define which countries fall under “third world”, a phrase often used to describe economically disadvantaged nations in the Global South.
Trump also said “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country”, will be removed. He pledged to end all federal benefits and subsidies for “noncitizens”, “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity”, and deport anyone deemed a public charge, security risk, or “non-compatible with Western civilisation”.
Trump links shooting to broader immigration overhaul
After the arrest of Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, Trump called the shooting “an act of terror”. He told reporters: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.”
On Thursday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended “all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” indefinitely. Its Director, Joseph Edlow, said on X that he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern”, following instructions from the president.
Edlow said the move was necessary because “the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies”.
The review will apply to citizens of nations included in Trump’s June travel ban list, which imposed full bans on Afghanistan, Chad, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
What does a ‘permanent pause’ mean?
Experts say Trump’s new declaration lacks a legal definition.
“In ordinary English, ‘permanent pause’ sounds final, but under immigration law, the term has no defined meaning,” said Indian Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Saxena. He said the term typically reflects an open-ended restriction that can still be challenged in court if it violates US laws.
Migration analysts say the vague language is deliberate.
Roberto Forin of the Mixed Migration Centre said the lack of clarity allows the administration to “indiscriminately intimidate migrant communities” while keeping flexibility for foreign policy bargaining.
He warned the measure will likely hit poorer countries hardest while sparing states with strategic value to the US.
“The objective of such announcements is to signal toughness, shift the narrative, instil fear and dehumanise migrants,” he said.
Impact on people already in the US
The consequences for migrants from affected countries remain unclear until the administration specifies which nations fall under the “pause”.
A recent American Immigration Council report said the existing travel ban already prevents people in the US from visiting family abroad because their renewed visa applications may be denied.
Saxena said restrictive policies will likely create delays, tougher background checks and extended processing times for nationals of affected countries. While existing residency cannot be revoked arbitrarily, past filings could come under audit.
He added that the pause will likely halt the entry of spouses, children and parents waiting abroad, prolonging family separation and disrupting reunification programmes.
With inputs from Al Jazeera