A day after a shooting near the White House left one US National Guard member dead and another critically injured, President Donald Trump has unveiled one of his most far-reaching immigration proposals yet, a plan to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries”.
The announcement followed the incident involving Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who opened fire on two National Guard members near the presidential complex on Wednesday. Lakanwal, who previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and had entered the United States under a protection programme for Afghan partners, was injured and arrested. One of the soldiers, Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.
Trump links shooting to broader migration overhaul
In a strongly worded post on Truth Social, the President claimed that the US immigration system had been weakened by “millions of Biden illegal admissions” and said the country must take drastic steps to restore domestic stability.
Trump further said he intended to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility” and deport any foreign national deemed a “public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization”.
His post on X read: “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, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
The President argued that merely tightening entry rules was no longer enough and that the situation required what he described as “reverse migration”.
Ending his message, he wrote: “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation… HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for – You won’t be here for long.”
A very Happy Thanksgiving salutation to all of our Great American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World,…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2025
Green Cards under scrutiny; India not on the watch list
Earlier in the day, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Joseph Edlow confirmed a sweeping internal review.
He said he had “directed a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern” in line with Trump’s orders.
Nineteen nations are currently on that watch list, including Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Libya, Haiti, Cuba, Yemen, Burkina Faso and others. Afghanistan is the only South Asian country on the list; India and the rest of the region remain unaffected.
Trump first placed these 19 countries under heightened scrutiny in June, restricting the issuance of new visas and warning that US agencies were unable to reliably vet applicants from these regions.
According to Edlow, several hundred thousand Green Card holders from these nations may now undergo renewed background checks.
Wider impact if policy is implemented
If the proposal to halt migration from “all Third World countries” moves beyond rhetoric, it would have far-reaching consequences for students, workers, asylum seekers and families worldwide. The United States remains one of the largest destinations for global mobility, and immigration from developing nations plays a substantial role in its labour force, university enrolment, and refugee responsibilities.
While the administration has not released operational details or timelines, the language of the President’s statement signals a substantial departure from existing immigration norms and could reshape global migration patterns.