Former president Donald Trump announced a plan to “permanently pause” migration from what he described as “third world” countries on the night after two U.S. National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C. The Thanksgiving Eve social media message said his administration would end federal benefits for noncitizens and remove people deemed not a net benefit to the United States. Authorities have identified an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, as the suspect in the attack; one guard member, Sarah Beckstrom, has died and a second, Specialist Andrew Wolfe, remains critically ill. How a sweeping, permanent pause on migration would be implemented or withstand judicial review was not specified.
Key Takeaways
- On the night of 27 November 2025, Trump posted a statement after 11pm saying he would “permanently pause migration from all third world countries” and end federal benefits to some noncitizens.
- The shooting near the White House left National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dead; another member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized; the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in custody and faces first-degree murder charges.
- Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 under an evacuation program for Afghans and was granted asylum in April 2025, Reuters reported; the CIA said he had worked with U.S.-backed units during the Afghanistan conflict.
- The administration has recently moved to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for several countries, and in June added a travel ban covering 19 countries that the administration cites as a “countries of concern.”
- USCIS said it is suspending processing of some Afghan immigration requests and will conduct a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of green cards from unspecified countries of concern, per director Joseph Edlow.
- The legal and practical pathway to impose a permanent, global pause on migration remains unclear and would likely face court challenges and Congressional pushback.
Background
Immigration has been a central focus of Trump’s second-term agenda, with policy moves including expanded deportation operations, efforts to rescind temporary protections and new travel restrictions. The administration has cited public safety and fiscal concerns in arguing for tighter controls; critics say the measures risk politicizing immigration and undermining legal protections for asylum-seekers. The current claim to pause migration echoes a 2017-era travel ban that targeted citizens from multiple majority-Muslim countries and prompted prolonged litigation and public protest. That earlier policy was altered after court challenges and ultimately rescinded by President Biden in 2021, establishing recent precedent for judicial review of broad entry restrictions.
Since August the administration has stationed National Guard troops across Washington, D.C., after declaring a “crime emergency” and directing Guard support for federal and local law enforcement. A federal judge recently ordered an end to that deployment but temporarily stayed that order for 21 days to allow administrative review or appeal. Separately, U.S. refugee and asylum systems include Temporary Protected Status (TPS), asylum adjudication and the green-card process; these programs have overlapping legal safeguards that complicate sudden, extrajudicial changes to eligibility or benefits.
Main Event
On Wednesday evening two National Guard members were shot near the White House. Authorities allege Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, carried out the attack. Lakanwal was wounded at the scene, taken into custody and is expected to be charged with first-degree murder, according to law-enforcement statements released after the incident. The next day Trump announced on social media that Guard member Sarah Beckstrom had died; he also said Specialist Andrew Wolfe remained critically injured.
Officials have traced Lakanwal’s U.S. entry to a September 2021 evacuation program that moved tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees into the United States after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Reuters reported that Lakanwal received asylum in April 2025; the CIA has since confirmed he had worked with military units assisted by the agency during the Afghanistan conflict. Lakanwal’s immigration history and the circumstances of his asylum claim are now central to the administration’s narrative for stricter controls.
Within 24 hours of the shooting the administration announced several immigration actions. USCIS said it was suspending certain Afghan-related case processing pending further review, and DHS said it would review asylum approvals issued under the prior administration. USCIS director Joseph Edlow said the agency would re-examine green cards for aliens from “countries of concern,” but officials have not publicly published a definitive list beyond referencing a 19-country travel ban announced in June.
Analysis & Implications
Legally, a unilateral, indefinite suspension of migration from a broad set of countries would face immediate scrutiny. Previous expansive travel restrictions were challenged in federal courts and often narrowed or remade by litigation; Congress also has authority over naturalization and many immigration benefits, meaning any permanent policy likely requires at least legislative cooperation or a defensible statutory basis. Administrative procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) could be another route for challenge if the pause is implemented via executive order or agency rulemaking.
Politically, the announcement is likely to deepen polarization. Supporters may view rapid action as a response to an attack on service members; opponents will argue the policy targets vulnerable populations and could break long-standing asylum and refugee commitments. States and localities with concentrated immigrant communities—Minnesota’s Somali population was specifically mentioned by the president—may face social strain and legal conflicts if federal policy changes cascade into state-level enforcement or benefits losses.
Operationally, revoking TPS, halting asylum approvals or re-opening millions of green-card files would create a massive administrative burden. USCIS and DHS would need substantial staffing and legal support to re-adjudicate backlogs; abrupt changes could also affect labor markets where immigrants hold key jobs and could prompt international diplomatic protests from affected countries. Economically, analysts warn disruption to legal immigration flows can raise short-term costs in sectors dependent on foreign labor, even as proponents argue long-term fiscal benefits from reduced benefit eligibility.
Comparison & Data
| Policy/Action | Reported scope |
|---|---|
| June 2025 travel ban | 19 countries listed by administration |
| Afghan evacuation (Sept 2021) | Tens of thousands resettled under evacuation programs |
| National Guard deployment to D.C. | Initial deployment August 2025; 500 additional troops announced after shooting |
| USCIS re-examination | “Every green card for every alien from every country of concern” (agency statement) |
The table places the president’s announcement alongside recent executive actions and past precedents. It underscores scale: travel bans historically covered dozens of thousands when measured against multi-year migration flows; a wholesale pause would mark an unusually broad intervention compared with prior U.S. practice. Re-examination of asylum and green-card approvals could affect cases adjudicated under different administrations and raise questions about retroactive application of new standards.
Reactions & Quotes
“A very happy Thanksgiving…we will permanently pause migration from all third world countries and end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens,”
Donald J. Trump, former U.S. president (social post)
The president’s post combined policy promises with broad statements blaming migration for social and fiscal problems; it did not specify which countries he meant by “third world.”
“I am directing a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern,”
Joseph Edlow, USCIS Director (agency statement)
Edlow’s directive signals the agency will review past approvals, but the statement left key terms—such as which countries qualify as “of concern”—undefined.
Unconfirmed
- It is not yet clear which specific countries, if any, would be included in a declared “permanent pause” beyond the administration’s reference to a 19-country travel ban; no formal list has been published.
- The administration has not specified whether reviews of asylum approvals target only Afghanistan or apply to approvals from additional countries; DHS statements have been ambiguous on scope.
- The precise legal mechanism for ending federal benefits or removing noncitizens en masse has not been released and may be subject to legal and legislative challenge.
Bottom Line
The shooting near the White House has been seized upon by the administration to justify accelerated and expansive immigration measures, including a pledge to stop migration from so-called “third world” countries and broad reviews of asylum and green-card approvals. While the announcement signals a forceful policy direction, concrete implementation details and the legal basis for a permanent pause remain unspecified and would likely face rapid court challenges.
Observers should watch for formal rulemaking or executive orders, the publication of any definitive country lists, responses from the courts and Congress, and the operational capacity of DHS and USCIS to carry out broad re-examinations. The policy choices in the coming days will determine whether the changes are administratively feasible, legally defensible and politically sustainable.
Sources
- The Guardian (news media): original report summarizing the president’s post and the Washington shooting.
- Reuters (news media): reporting cited on asylum grant timing and related background (published coverage of the suspect’s immigration status).
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (official): statements and policy documents on travel bans, TPS and asylum reviews.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (official): agency statements regarding suspensions and re-examination of green cards.