Trump declares a ‘permanent pause’ on immigration from ‘third world countries’ after deadly DC shooting

Trump argued that security failures tied to vetting policies from the Biden era allowed the attacker to enter the United States.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will enact a “permanent pause” on immigration from “third world countries,” following the fatal shooting of several National Guard members and in response to former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, which Trump characterized as lax.

He argued that security failures tied to vetting policies from the Biden era allowed the attacker to enter the United States.

Trump offered no list of nations in the category of “third world countries” that would be affected and did not clarify the duration or scope of what he called a permanent halt.

He said the measures would also reach cases approved “by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen,” adding that he intends to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.” His remarks were posted on his Truth Social account.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I will permanently pause migration from all third world countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”

His comments came shortly after investigators identified the suspect in the Washington attack as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021 through a resettlement program set up after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to a federal file reviewed by Reuters, he was granted asylum earlier this year under the current administration. Officials have said the shooting was an ambush that left a National Guard member dead near the White House complex.

Hours before unveiling the proposed restrictions, Trump had already directed the Department of Homeland Security to examine asylum cases approved during the Biden administration and review green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services later suspended all immigration processing related to Afghan nationals, saying the pause would remain in place indefinitely.

Trump also renewed criticism of the 2021 airlift from Kabul, claiming that hundreds of thousands entered the country “unvetted and unchecked” during what he labeled a chaotic evacuation.

The shooting has intensified political debate over immigration policy. Even though Lakanwal entered the country legally, the attack is expected to fuel Trump’s broader effort to tighten both legal and illegal entry into the United States.