US President Donald Trump has announced plans to 'permanently pause migration from all third world countries' following a shooting in Washington DC that left two National Guard members dead or injured. In a late-night social media post on Thanksgiving, Trump also pledged to 'end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens' and remove 'anyone who is not a net asset to the United States'.
The shooting, which occurred near the White House on Wednesday, is suspected to have been carried out by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021 under a Biden-era evacuation programme. Lakanwal was granted asylum in April under the Trump administration and had previously worked with CIA-backed military units in Afghanistan. He was injured in the attack and remains in custody, facing charges of first-degree murder.
Trump's announcement marks an escalation in his second-term immigration crackdown, which has already seen moves to cancel temporary protected status (TPS) for several countries, including Afghanistan. The administration claims the TPS system was 'widely abused' by the previous administration. Following the shooting, the US State Department paused visa issuance for Afghan passport holders, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely suspended processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals.
The president's post did not specify which countries are considered 'third world', but the Department of Homeland Security referred to a list of 19 countries subject to a travel ban. Trump also singled out Somali communities in Minnesota, after promising to end TPS for Somalis. The administration is now reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration, though it remains unclear if this review extends beyond Afghan cases.
