In a bold statement following a tragic incident in Washington D.C., Donald Trump announced plans to “permanently pause migration from all third world countries.” This declaration comes just a day after two members of the National Guard were shot, exacerbating the political tensions surrounding immigration policy during Trump's ongoing crackdown on immigration.
On Thursday evening, in a social media post that began with “a very happy Thanksgiving,” Trump outlined his administration's intentions to “end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens” and to remove “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.” However, the specifics of how this proposed “pause” in migration would be implemented remain unclear. Historically, immigration bans issued by Trump's administration have encountered significant legal challenges in both the courts and Congress.
Earlier that night, Trump confirmed the death of Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members shot during the attack near the White House on Wednesday. The authorities suspect that the perpetrator, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, executed the shooting. Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 as part of a Biden-era program designed to evacuate tens of thousands of individuals from Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. After being granted asylum in April this year under the Trump administration, Lakanwal was confirmed to have worked with military units supported by the CIA during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. He sustained injuries during the attack and is currently in custody. The second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, continues to fight for his life.
Trump's late-night post signals an escalation in his administration's anti-immigrant policies, particularly during his second term, which has largely revolved around mass deportations. The lengthy message posted on Trump’s Truth Social account did not specify which countries would be targeted or clarify the definition of “third-world,” but it utilized harsh rhetoric to attribute issues such as rising crime rates and America’s increasing deficit to the presence of migrants and refugees, without providing supporting evidence.
In his statement, Trump specifically called out Somali communities in Minnesota, reiterating his previous promise to end temporary protected status for individuals from Somalia residing in the state. Earlier on the same day, Trump commented that the shooting in Washington D.C. “reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump and members of his administration swiftly announced extensive immigration reforms. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) declared an indefinite suspension of processing immigration requests for Afghan nationals pending further review. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security extended this review to encompass all asylum cases approved during the Biden administration, although they did not specify whether this review would apply solely to Afghanistan or include other nations as well.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated that he was initiating a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern,” based on Trump’s directives. Edlow's announcement did not delineate which countries were considered as “countries of concern,” but referenced a travel ban imposed by Trump in June on citizens from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Burundi, and Venezuela.
National Guard troops have been deployed across Washington D.C. since August, following Trump's declaration of a “crime emergency.” In response to the recent shooting, Trump proposed sending an additional 500 National Guard troops to the area. Despite a federal judge's ruling last week to end the National Guard deployment, the order has been put on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration to either withdraw the troops or appeal the decision.
This recent escalation in immigration policy and national security measures highlights the ongoing complexities and challenges surrounding U.S. immigration in the current political landscape.