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Trump to pause migration from 'third-world countries' to allow US system 'to recover'
Trump's comments came following the death of a National Guard member on Thursday after being shot near the White House
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will 'permanently pause' migration from 'third-world countries' to allow the US system 'to fully recover'.
Trump's comments came following the death of a National Guard member on Thursday after being shot near the White House in an ambush that investigators say was carried out by an Afghan national. He called the attack "an act of terror".
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Trump also said on social media platform Truth Social that he will end all federal benefits and subsidies to "noncitizens," adding that he will "denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western civilization."
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The US President ended his statement by sending thanksgiving wishes to all "except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for. You won't be here for long!".
Harsher stance
The announcement also comes one day after a decision to stop the processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals to the US indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
Since returning to office earlier this year, Trump has adopted a far more hard-line approach to immigration, prioritising tighter border controls, tougher enforcement measures, and a rapid reversal of many policies introduced under the previous administration.
Earlier, officials from the Department of Homeland Security officials said that Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under Biden's administration and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
The alleged gunman was granted asylum this year under Trump, according to a US government file seen by Reuters.
The Afghan immigrant, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had entered the US in 2021 under a resettlement program.
The resettlement program was set up by Biden after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the country's takeover by the Taliban.
In a separate post prior to the announcement, Trump claimed that hundreds of thousands of people poured into the US totally "unvetted and unchecked" during what he described as the "horrendous" airlift from Afghanistan.
The shooting of US troops on American soil by an immigrant is expected to have far-reaching implications across the American political landscape.
Inputs from Reuters
Yasmin Hussein
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.
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