US President Donald Trump has signaled a sweeping suspension of migration from what he termed “third-world countries,” following an incident in Washington where an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed current immigration policies have “eroded” the country’s progress and said migration from such nations must be halted to allow the US system to “fully recover.”

Trump also said he aims to reverse what he called “millions of Biden illegal admissions” and wants to deport foreign nationals he views as security risks or “not a net asset” to the United States. His remarks have reignited debate over the term “Third World,” a Cold War-era classification now considered outdated and imprecise.

The administration has already moved toward stricter measures. USCIS director Joseph Edlow announced a “full-scale reexamination” of every Green Card issued to people from “countries of concern,” referring to Trump’s June 2025 executive order. That order identifies 19 nations subject to heightened restrictions.

Under the directive, 12 countries face a full travel ban - Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Another seven countries are under partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.