^{U.S. President Donald Trump shows a printed photo during a call with service members from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 27, 2025, during the Thanksgiving holiday. US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two National Guard troops shot a day earlier near the White House, had died, while the other soldier was “fighting for his life.”}

^{Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images}

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Trump Announces Drastic Immigration Clampdown

In a late-night message on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald J. Trump declared that his administration will “permanently pause migration from all Third-World Countries” in order to give America’s immigration system time to “fully recover.” He did not specify which nations qualify as “Third-World,” a term often used to describe poorer or economically unstable countries. Alongside the migration freeze, Trump pledged to revoke all federal benefits and subsidies for noncitizens — and begin a sweeping purge of immigrants he deems unfit.

He vowed to reverse “millions” of admissions made under the previous administration led by Joe Biden and to target individuals he judges not to be a “net asset” to the United States or incapable of “loving our country.” The president also said his administration will denaturalize migrants who “undermine domestic tranquility” and deport those considered security risks, public charges, or “non-compatible with Western civilization.”

Context: Shooting Near the White House Spurs Reaction

The policy shift comes in the wake of a shooting near the White House in which two members of the United States National Guard were shot. One of them later died from her injuries. Authorities believe the suspected gunman, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. under a 2021 resettlement program, was responsible.

Soon after the attack, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it was suspending all immigration requests related to Afghan nationals indefinitely, pending a vetting and security review. At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered a re-examination of every asylum and green-card case approved during the Biden presidency — including hundreds of thousands of cases from dozens of countries.

Officials said the review covers green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries previously flagged as “countries of concern.” While the Trump administration has not published a full list, it is believed to overlap significantly with the nations named in a travel ban issued earlier this year.

What the Measures Entail

• A permanent halt to migration from unspecified Third-World countries intended to freeze new entries.
• Termination of federal benefits and subsidies currently available to noncitizens residing in the U.S.
• Cancellation or reversal of “millions” of migration approvals granted over the past few years under the Biden administration.
• Denaturalization and deportation of migrants judged to present security risks, be public charges, or culturally incompatible.
• A full re-evaluation of asylum grants and green cards issued to immigrants from countries on a “concern list,” which DHS and USCIS have begun to assemble and review.

Broader Implications and Debate

Supporters of these moves argue the steps are necessary to protect national security and to relieve pressure on public services and American workers. They say recent violent incidents near the capital reinforce the need for tighter immigration controls and more rigorous vetting.

Critics say the sweeping measures punish large groups of immigrants — many of whom were brought to the U.S. under humanitarian or refugee-resettlement programs — for the actions of a single individual. They warn the policy could lead to human rights concerns, mass deportations, and uncertain fates for thousands of refugees awaiting asylum or residency decisions, including families who helped U.S. forces in foreign conflicts and those fleeing persecution.

What Happens Next

In the coming weeks, USCIS and DHS are expected to release details about which countries are deemed “Third-World” or “of concern,” and how the vetting and re-examination process will work. Immigrants currently holding green cards or whose asylum status may be under review will likely face uncertainty.

Given the scale of the proposals — potentially affecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of immigrants — legal challenges and humanitarian backlash seem likely. The debate over immigration, national security and the U.S.’s role as a refuge will perhaps intensify as the policy unfolds.