President Donald Trump promised to "permanently pause migration from all third-world countries," a move that would be a significant escalation of the U.S. government's hardline immigration policy, Politico reports.
Trump said the pause would remain in place until the U.S. immigration system is fully restored, and vowed to stop what he called "Biden's millions of illegal admissions."
He also pledged to "remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States or unable to love our country," strip federal benefits from non-citizens and deport any foreign national deemed a security risk, a burden on society or "incompatible with Western civilization."
Shooting near the White House
Trump made the statement on his Truth Social platform after a shooter opened fire near the White House on Wednesday, killing a National Guard trooper and wounding a colleague.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as 29-year-old Rahmanulla Lakanvala, an Afghan national.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed to Politico that Lakanvala had prior ties to the United States, including with the intelligence service.
"After Biden's catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified the arrival of the suspected shooter to the United States in September 2021 because of his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of partner forces in Kandahar, which ended shortly after the chaotic evacuation. This person — and many others — should never have been allowed to come here. Our citizens and service members deserve much better than to endure the ongoing consequences of the catastrophic failures of the Biden administration. God bless our brave troops."
– he said.
Trump's reaction
Trump condemned the Wednesday shooting as "an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," calling it "a crime against our entire nation."
National Guard service members have been in Washington since August, when Trump ordered their deployment as part of stepped-up immigration control and the fight against street crime. Shortly after the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump instructed him to deploy an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington.
"Only reverse migration can fully fix this situation."
– Trump said.
