Donald Trump has said he will “permanently stop migration” to the United States from all “third world countries.”
The US president wrote in a Truth Social post that the decision would “allow the American system to fully recover” from immigration policies that had eroded the “benefits and living conditions” of many Americans. He did not provide details of his plan or name which countries might be affected.
Trump’s comments come a day after an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington DC, one of whom died.
This and other announcements following the attack represent a further hardening of Trump’s stance on immigration, which has long been one of his key issues.
Trump previously said Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, DC, underscored a significant national security threat and vowed to take steps to expel any foreigners “from any country that doesn’t belong here.”
The same day, the United States suspended processing all immigration applications from Afghans, saying the decision was made pending a review of “security and background check protocols.”
Then on Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would re-examine green cards issued to people who immigrated to the U.S. from 19 countries.
When the BBC asked which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June White House proclamation that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.
There were no further details on what the new exam would look like.
Trump’s latest post on Thursday night went further, promising to “end all federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens.”
The president also blamed refugees for causing “social dysfunction in America” and promised to expel “anyone who is not a net asset” to the United States.
The flurry of announcements comes after officials said Washington DC shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 under a program that offered special immigration protections to Afghans who had worked with US forces after their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
By this time, the Taliban had regained control of Afghanistan, raising fears of retaliation against those who had cooperated with the United States.
Lakanwal once worked alongside the CIA in Afghanistan, said agency director John Ratcliffe.
An official told the BBC’s US news partner CBS that Lakanwal had applied for asylum in 2024 and that his request had been granted earlier this year.
Trump described the attack as an “act of terrorism.”
It had already imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan – and 11 other countries, mainly in Africa and Asia – earlier this year.
Several Muslim-majority countries also faced a travel ban during Trump’s first presidency.
