U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a permanent halt to immigration from what he termed “third world countries,” introducing a series of additional restrictive measures in response to a shooting incident in Washington D.C. that left two National Guard members dead.
Authorities identified the shooter as an Afghan national who had previously worked with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and later migrated to the United States following the American withdrawal. The incident has intensified the administration’s already strict immigration posture.
In a statement issued on Truth Social, Trump said the new steps were aimed at sharply reducing what he described as the “illegal and disruptive population.” Alongside the immigration suspension, the administration has cancelled federal benefits and subsidies for all non-citizens, expanding its longstanding approach to tightening immigration controls.
Among the measures Trump outlined were the permanent suspension of immigration from “third world countries,” the withdrawal of federal benefits from non-citizens, denaturalisation of migrants considered harmful to “national tranquility,” the cancellation of admissions deemed illegal under the Biden administration, and the deportation of anyone classified as a public burden, a security threat, or incompatible with the administration’s vision of Western values.
Trump also criticised Representative Ilhan Omar, calling her the worst “Congresswoman in our country.”
The administration has not clarified which nations fall under the category of “third world countries” for the purpose of the permanent immigration suspension. In June, the Trump administration issued a travel ban affecting 19 countries with limited exceptions. The list included Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
It remains uncertain whether these countries match the classification Trump referenced or whether a separate list exists.
