Trump Vows to Halt Migration from “Third World Countries” Following Washington Shooting

Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans to suspend immigration from what he described as “third world countries,” a declaration made barely 24 hours after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.

C., resulting in the death of one of them.

The announcement, shared in an angry social media post, signalled a major intensification of the hardline immigration agenda that has defined his second term.

Trump also threatened to reverse the “millions” of admissions approved during the administration of his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

His statement tied a violent act committed by a single individual to an entire demographic group, further reinforcing the immigration hardline that has shaped his administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Trump had earlier confirmed that 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, a West Virginia National Guard member deployed to Washington under his anti-crime initiative, had died from her injuries.

Meanwhile, the FBI has opened an international terrorism investigation into the alleged shooter, a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously served alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Wednesday’s “ambush-style” shooting, according to officials, intersects with three politically charged issues: Trump’s controversial domestic military deployments, immigration, and the lingering fallout of America’s war in Afghanistan.

“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” Trump wrote on social media.

He further vowed to rescind “millions” of admissions granted during Biden’s tenure and to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”

Speaking during a Thanksgiving video conference with U.S. troops, Trump expressed “the anguish and the horror of our entire nation at the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation’s capital.”

He suggested that the shooting was linked to his decision to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, adding: “If they weren’t effective, you probably wouldn’t have had this done. Maybe this man was upset because he couldn’t practice crime.”

Joseph Edlow, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Thursday he had ordered a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” The agency cited a list of 19 countries already under U.S. travel restrictions, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Myanmar.

The administration had previously halted immigration processing from Afghanistan.

Trump noted that the second injured soldier, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life.” The suspected shooter was also critically injured.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., said the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had been residing in Washington State and drove across the country before opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver near the White House. He faces three counts of assault with intent to kill — charges that could be upgraded to first-degree murder.

Authorities say they are still unsure of the motive.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” in Afghanistan and was brought to the U.S. under a program that evacuated Afghans who had assisted American operations. Senior officials across the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security claimed Lakanwal entered the U.S. under “unvetted access” due to what they described as lax asylum measures following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal under President Biden.

However, AfghanEvac — a group involved in resettling Afghan allies — countered that evacuees undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants. The group also noted that Lakanwal was granted asylum in April 2025 under Trump’s own administration and would have been eligible for permanent residency one year later.

“This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said the group’s president, Shawn VanDiver.

Following the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment of an additional 500 troops to Washington, raising the total number of National Guard personnel to 2,500. Trump has stationed troops in several Democratic-led cities — including Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis — prompting numerous lawsuits and accusations of authoritarian overreach from critics.