New York / Washington: In a dramatic shift in US immigration policy, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration will “permanently pause migration from all Third-World countries.” The declaration followed a fatal shooting near the White House in which two National Guard members were wounded — one later died, an Afghan national has been named as the suspect in the attack.
In a post shared on his Truth Social platform late on Thanksgiving, Trump said that the United States needs time to “fully recover” and that migration from “all Third World Countries” will be suspended indefinitely.
He further asserted that his administration will “terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions,” and remove “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”
The order, as laid out by Trump, also includes ending federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens, denaturalising migrants who are deemed to undermine domestic peace, and deporting foreign nationals classified as public charges, security threats, or “non-compatible with Western civilisation.”
Subsequent to Trump’s announcement, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — led by its director Joseph Edlow — reportedly initiated a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of all Green Cards issued to immigrants from what the administration terms “countries of concern.”
Moreover, the administration also paused all asylum decisions and temporarily halted issuing visas to nationals from certain countries, including Afghanistan
The announcement has wide-ranging implications for immigration to the US. Although Trump did not specify which countries fall under the “Third-World” label, the term commonly refers to poorer or economically developing nations, particularly those in the Global South.
Critics note that past travel bans and restrictive immigration measures instituted by this or previous administrations have repeatedly faced legal challenges. It remains unclear how the new directive will be implemented — for instance, how migration and asylum processes will be halted, or how denaturalisation and deportation efforts will be carried out across existing immigrant populations.
Still, the pronouncement signals a major escalation of the administration’s hardline stance on immigration and national security — particularly as the US prepares for the political landscape ahead of 2026. Trump said he is committed to reversing policies adopted by his predecessor and promised to reshape immigration flows in line with his vision for “a secure America.”
As of now, the full legal, humanitarian and international fallout of the decision remains to be seen. The move has already drawn concern from civil-rights groups, immigration advocates and international watchdogs, warning that such sweeping measures could violate refugee protections and disrupt millions of lives. International bodies have urged the United States to uphold its commitments under global refugee conventions.
