Donald Trump is once again sharpening his immigration stance.
This time he made a sweeping promise to “permanently pause migration” from what he called “third world countries.”
The announcement came in a fiery Thanksgiving message on Truth Social.
He argued the US needs time to “recover” from policies that, in his view, have hurt American living standards.
But what exactly does this plan look like? He didn’t say.
The comments followed a tragic shooting in Washington DC, where an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members, killing one.
Trump immediately framed the incident as proof of a major national security risk and vowed to remove any foreigner “who does not belong here.”
In rapid succession, the US suspended immigration requests from Afghans.
It also announced a review of green cards issued to people from 19 countries.
Policy Versus Fear
While officials didn’t link the move to the attack, a previous White House proclamation listed nations such as Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Somalia, and Venezuela.
These nations were specifically mentioned in the proclamation.
Immigration experts pushed back. Jeremy McKinney of the American Immigration Lawyers Association called Trump’s response “scapegoating.”
He argued that radicalisation “doesn’t know nationality.”
Meanwhile, the shooting suspect — Rahmanullah Lakanwal — had once worked with the CIA.
He arrived in 2021 under a programme meant to protect Afghans who aided the US.
As the investigation unfolds, one question lingers: is policy being shaped by facts — or fear?
