US President Donald Trump has threatened to greatly increase his immigration crackdown, saying he wants to “permanently pause migration” from all “third world countries.” His comments came after a National Guard member was shot and killed in Washington, DC. An Afghan national has been blamed for the attack, though few details have been released.
Trump’s statements mark another step in his tougher approach to immigration during his second term. He has pushed for mass deportations of people who entered the country illegally, reduced refugee admissions, and tried to end automatic citizenship for most people born in the US.
After the shooting, the US stopped processing all immigration applications from Afghans while reviewing security checks. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services also said it would re-examine green cards from people who came from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.
In a strongly worded post, Trump promised to end all federal benefits for noncitizens and blamed refugees for “social problems” in the US. He also claimed refugees from Somalia were “taking over” Minnesota and said he would block migration from all “Third World countries.”
The term “third world” is an older phrase used for poorer, developing nations.
UN officials urged the US to follow international refugee laws, while immigration experts warned that Trump was unfairly blaming migrants. One immigration lawyer said it was wrong to connect the shooting to nationality, noting that people with violent motives can come from any background.
