US President Donald Trump has threatened to intensify his immigration policies, vowing to “permanently pause migration” to the US from all “third world countries” as he criticized the nation’s “refugee burden.”
This statement followed the announcement of the death of a US National Guard member due to a shooting in Washington DC, for which an Afghan national has been held responsible.
Trump did not provide additional details or specify which countries would be impacted. Such a measure could encounter legal obstacles and has already faced opposition from UN agencies.
The president’s comments following Wednesday’s tragic incident indicate a further hardening of his approach to immigration during his second term.
Among other actions, Trump has aimed to implement mass deportations of migrants who entered the US unlawfully, significantly reduce the annual cap on refugee admissions, and eliminate automatic citizenship rights for nearly all individuals born in the US.
Following the shooting, Trump vowed to expel any foreigner “from any country who does not belong here.”
On the same day, the US halted the processing of all immigration applications from Afghans, citing a review of “security and vetting protocols.”
The next day, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it would reassess green cards granted to individuals from 19 countries. The agency did not specifically reference Wednesday’s incident.
When journalists inquired about the countries included in this review, USCIS referred to a June proclamation from the White House that listed Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela. No further information was provided regarding the nature of the reassessment.
In a strongly worded two-part post on Thursday night, Trump went even further, promising to “end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens.”
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In a post on Truth Social, he claimed this would “allow the US system to fully recover” from policies that have undermined the “gains and living conditions” of many Americans.
In his message, which he framed as a “Happy Thanksgiving salutation,” Trump attributed “social dysfunction in America” to refugees and pledged to remove “anyone who is not a net asset” to the US.
He asserted that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia were completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota” and specifically criticized the state’s Democratic lawmakers.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” the president stated.
The term “third world” has historically been used to describe poorer, developing nations.
