U.S. President Donald Trump announced a permanent halt on migration from what he described as "Third World Countries" to allow the U.S. immigration system to recover. He did not specify the exact criteria for which nations fall under this category, but generally, this term refers to countries with significant poverty and economic difficulties. Trump also stated plans to revoke millions of admissions authorized under President Joe Biden's administration and to remove anyone deemed not a net asset to the United States.
In addition to the migration pause, Trump declared his intent to terminate all federal assistance and subsidies for noncitizens residing in the U.S. He aimed to deport individuals classified as public burdens, security threats, or those "non-compatible with Western civilization." This includes plans to revoke protections such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from several countries including Venezuela, Haiti, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
This announcement followed a recent shooting incident near the White House, which Trump related to failures in immigration vetting during the Biden administration. Since resuming office, Trump has pursued a stricter immigration policy, including a travel ban affecting immigrants from 19 countries and new measures tightening immigration applications and green card reviews.
"I permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover all millions of illegal admissions signed off by Sleepy Biden's administration, and anyone who is not an asset to the United States" — Trump.
The policy creates uncertainty for visa and immigration applicants from the nations designated as "Third World," although specific details about how this will be implemented or which countries are affected remained unclear. The administration's hard-line stance emphasizes deportation of those viewed as liabilities and ending federal benefits for noncitizens.
This policy intensifies the crackdown on immigration with broad implications for migrants from economically challenged countries and reflects a significant shift in U.S. immigration enforcement under Trump's renewed presidency.