By Faris Tanyos
Updated on: November 28, 2025 / 12:58 AM EST
CBS News
President Trump announced late Thursday that he would halt immigration from developing nations, saying in a Truth Social post he “will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.” He did not provide a timetable, implementation details, or a list of which countries would be classified as “Third World.”
The post came after a Wednesday shooting in downtown Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House, in which a National Guard member was killed and a second Guard member was critically wounded. Authorities have detained a 29-year-old Afghan national in connection with the attack. Officials say he was admitted to the U.S. in September 2021 as part of the large group of Afghan evacuees after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In the wake of the shooting, the Trump administration has signaled a much stricter approach to immigration policy, arguing current rules allowed the suspect into the country and pledging to change them. The president’s statement did not clarify when a pause would begin or how it would be enforced.
Mr. Trump also said he would “terminate” immigration status for millions admitted under former President Joe Biden, “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” end “Federal benefits and subsidies” for “noncitizens,” and deport foreign nationals deemed a “security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.” CBS News has contacted the White House seeking further explanation.
Earlier Thursday, administration officials announced a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of green cards issued to immigrants from 19 countries they described as “of concern.” That list reportedly includes Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the White House is reviewing asylum approvals that occurred under the Biden administration.
The administration had already directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Nov. 21 to review cases of refugees admitted during President Biden’s term.
The suspect in the D.C. shooting has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal. A Department of Homeland Security official told CBS News Lakanwal came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in September 2021 and was paroled on humanitarian grounds. The official said his asylum case was approved earlier this year, during Mr. Trump’s presidency.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal lived with his family in Bellingham, Washington, and drove across the country to Washington, D.C., before the attack. Law enforcement reports say a National Guard member shot the suspect following the ambush; the president said the suspect is in serious condition.
The CIA disclosed Thursday that Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar; that partnership ended in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Jennifer Jacobs, Ahmad Mukhtar and Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.