Trump orders halt to immigration from 'developing countries'

President Donald Trump declared a permanent halt on immigration from countries he classifies as Third World following a fatal shooting in Washington, D.C., in which a National Guard member was killed and another critically injured.

Details of the Incident

The shooter, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly attacked two National Guard members near the White House last Wednesday. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, while Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Lakanwal had previously worked with the CIA against the Taliban and entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program initiated under the Biden administration, although he was granted asylum in April under Trumps policies.

Trump's Response

In the aftermath, Trump criticized Minnesota officials, claimingwithout evidencethat Somali refugees are taking over the state and accusing Somali gangs of patrolling the streets in search of victims. He also made derogatory remarks about Governor Tim Walz and mocked Representative Ilhan Omars religious attire. When questioned about the relevance of Somalis to the D.C. shooting, Trump admitted there was no connection but insisted they had caused a lot of trouble.

Policy Announcement

Trump posted on Truth Social that the migration freeze would aim to end millions of Biden-era illegal admissions and remove individuals not a net benefit to the U.S. On Sunday, aboard Air Force One, he described the freeze as indefinite, stating that it could last a long time and would target people from nations that are not friendly or out of control themselves.

Additional Measures

The president also proposed ending federal benefits for non-citizens, stripping citizenship from immigrants deemed disruptive to domestic stability, and deporting those considered incompatible with Western civilization. He suggested that reverse migration was the only solution to these issues.

Reactions

Governor Walz called Trumps remarks a badge of honor and accused the president of normalizing hateful rhetoric to distract from governance failures. Senator Amy Klobuchar criticized the policy for fostering division and unfairly targeting entire communities.

Implications

The migration freeze creates uncertainty for Asian American communities, as the administration has not specified which countries are affected or how long the policy will last. This vagueness could allow politically motivated targeting, with many Asian nations potentially falling under the broad label of not friendly or crime-ridden.

With Asian immigrants representing roughly 13 million people and forming the largest share of temporary visa holders in the U.S., the freeze would immediately disrupt family reunifications and halt ongoing immigration applications. Combined with prior restrictions on green cards and asylum processing from high-risk nations, the announcement signals a major restructuring of U.S. immigration policy, potentially closing doors to Asian immigrants for the foreseeable future.

Author: Zoe Harrison