Trump Threatens “Permanent Pause” on Immigration from ‘Third-World Countries’ After DC Shooting Tied to Afghan National

President Donald Trump holds up a photograph as he speaks to reporters after speaking to troops via video from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump escalated his hardline immigration agenda on Thanksgiving weekend, vowing to “permanently pause migration” from all “third world countries” after a National Guard member was killed in a Washington, D.C. shooting allegedly carried out by an Afghan immigrant.

Trump’s explosive statements arrived hours after authorities confirmed the death of 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was deployed to D.C. under Trump’s recent crime-crackdown order.

The president’s post, delivered on Truth Social and framed as a “Happy Thanksgiving salutation,” blasted the U.S. “refugee burden,” accused migrants of driving “social dysfunction,” and promised to strip all federal benefits from non-citizens.

The White House has not released a formal policy outline, and Trump did not specify which nations would fall under the proposed freeze — a plan that would almost certainly face legal challenges and has already drawn criticism from UN officials.

DC Shooting Sparks Immediate Policy Shifts

The deadly shooting set off a rapid series of federal actions:

• Immigration processing for Afghans suspended pending a security review

• Green cards of migrants from 19 countries ordered for re-examination (countries listed in a prior June proclamation include Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela)

• Trump vowed to remove “any foreigner… who does not belong here”

The suspect in the attack, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021 under a protection program for Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He later applied for asylum in 2024, and his claim was approved earlier this year. His green-card request remains pending.

Officials say Lakanwal previously worked with the CIA-aligned Kandahar Strike Force and had been vetted multiple times before entering the U.S. A childhood friend told the New York Times he struggled with mental health issues after years of combat-adjacent work.

Trump labeled the shooting an “act of terror.”

Beckstrom’s colleague, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, remains hospitalized and “fighting for his life,” according to the president.

UN Pushback and Growing Legal Firestorm

UN officials quickly responded, urging the U.S. to uphold its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Immigration rights advocates accused Trump of turning a tragedy into political ammunition.

“This is scapegoating,” said Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
“When violence happens, the motive isn’t determined by nationality.”

During his second presidency, Trump has already pursued:

• Mass deportations

• Sharp cuts to refugee admissions

• Ending birthright citizenship

• Reinstating and expanding travel bans

But Thursday night’s declaration represents his most sweeping threat yet.