Donald Trump Pledges to Permanently Stop Migration from Developing Countries

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a sweeping overhaul of US immigration policy, declaring.

That his administration will move to “permanently pause migration” from what he described as “Third World countries.” The announcement follows heightened scrutiny of immigration procedures after one of the two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House by an Afghan national died from his injuries.

The President said the move is part of a broader effort to reduce unauthorised migration, reassess existing residency approvals, and tighten eligibility norms for foreign nationals already in the country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the US system to fully recover… and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.”

He added that his administration would withdraw federal benefits and subsidies from non-citizens, denaturalise migrants deemed to pose risks to domestic stability, and deport those identified as security threats or “incompatible with Western civilisation.”

Trump’s comments come as his administration reviews the permanent residency status of immigrants from 19 “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, Cuba, and Myanmar—nations that were earlier part of his updated travel restrictions issued in June.

The renewed scrutiny was triggered by Thursday’s shooting near the White House, which Trump labelled a “heinous assault” and “an act of terror.” The President argued that immigration failures have contributed to rising social strain, stating that “reverse migration” is the only long-term solution.

Following the incident, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that Trump ordered a comprehensive re-examination of all Green Cards issued to individuals from the listed countries. Processing of fresh immigration applications from Afghanistan has also been halted.

The term “Third World countries,” used by Trump, is a broad and outdated classification typically referring to low- and middle-income nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.