United States President Donald Trump announced that his administration will impose a permanent pause on migration from what he called Third World Countries. This move was triggered by a deadly shooting near the White House that involved an Afghan national who entered the United States under a 2021 resettlement program.
Note that the deadly incident occurred on 27 November 2025 and resulted in the death of a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member, Sarah Beckstrom, and the critical injury of a 24-year-old colleague, Andrew Wolfe. Authorities identified the suspect as a 29-year-old Afghan citizen who arrived through a United States evacuation initiative.
Trump said the United States immigration system must fully recover before any new entries from targeted countries resume. He added that millions of admissions under the previous administration would be terminated, citing concerns about inadequate vetting and alleged risks associated with large-scale arrivals due to humanitarian programs.
Part of the proposed framework includes cancellation of federal benefits for all non-citizens and removal of foreign nationals with public charges or deemed security threats or incompatible with Western Civilization. Trump also proposed a policy that he called reverse migration, focused on expelling unauthorized and disruptive populations.
Federal agencies halted processing of all immigration applications filed by Afghan nationals following the Washington shooting incident. Senior officials said the order was issued within hours of the attack and was intended to support and echo a broader national security review of refugee, parole, and humanitarian entry programs.
The event intensified scrutiny of resettlement efforts launched after the 2020-2021 United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, when tens of thousands of evacuees entered under emergency authorities. Critics have since argued that screening procedures varied widely, while officials insist that the vast majority passed standard security protocols.
A comprehensive pause could disrupt long-standing immigration pathways, including visas, asylum requests, and family reunification cases. Denaturalization proposals could face significant constitutional challenges, particularly regarding due process rights and protections established under long-standing federal citizenship statutes.
Photo Credit: Pbritti / Two National Guardsmen photographed while stationed outside the southern Farragut North station entrance on 15 November 2025 / 2025 / Adapted / CC BY-SA 4.0