Washington DC – US President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to impose a permanent pause on migration from what he described as “third-world countries,” saying the move is needed to stop illegal entry and stabilise the nation’s immigration system. His remarks came days after two National Guard members were shot in Washington, DC, allegedly by a 29-year-old Afghan national. One of the soldiers, identified as US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, later died from her injuries.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he intends to stop migration until the US “fully recovers” from what he called the millions of unlawful admissions under the Biden administration. He added that his plan includes removing individuals who, in his view, do not contribute positively or pose risks to national security. He also criticised former president Joe Biden, alleging that many immigration approvals were processed through an “unauthorised and illegal Autopen system.”
Trump said reversing migration is the only way to reduce what he described as “illegal and disruptive populations.” He further claimed that an increasing refugee burden has created social challenges across the country, blaming it for issues such as crime, strained hospitals, failing schools and housing shortages.
The comments were issued shortly after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced new guidance in response to the Thanksgiving-eve shooting. The USCIS said officials would now consider country-specific factors from 19 nations when reviewing immigration applications, following earlier restrictions placed on Afghan resettlement during Trump’s previous term.
Federal agencies are continuing to investigate the shooting, which happened just blocks from the White House. Authorities have identified the accused shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who arrived in the United States in 2021. Trump described the attack as an act of terror and criticised Biden’s earlier immigration decisions, saying they allowed the suspect to enter the country.
