Trump threatens to suspend immigration from “Third World countries”

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Thursday (27) and reiterated on Friday (28) that he intends to “permanently pause” immigration from all “Third World countries”. The announcement, made on Truth Social, came after the death of Sarah Beckstrom, 20, a member of the National Guard, shot near the White House by a gunman identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan who entered the country in 2021.

Without defining which nations he was referring to, Trump used the term — already abandoned in geopolitics — as part of his anti-immigration rhetoric, promising to cancel admissions approved under the Biden administration and toughen deportations.

Shooting feeds narrative and accelerates measures

The attack took place in Farragut Square, a tourist area in Washington, on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday. Beckstrom died on Thursday; colleague Andrew Wolfe remains injured. The suspect, who authorities said received asylum this year under Trump after initially entering through Biden’s resettlement program, was shot and detained.

Trump reacted by calling for 500 additional federal agents to be sent to the capital and cited the case as proof that immigrants were “overloading” the American system. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the security boost seeks to ensure that Washington “is a safe place.”

Green card review and unprecedented tightening

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security reported that Trump ordered a broad review of asylum cases and green cards granted to citizens of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and several nations in Africa and Asia. Brazil does not appear on the list cited to Reuters.

The government also indefinitely suspended the processing of immigration applications made by Afghans. More than two-thirds of the 53,000 ICE detainees as of November 15 have no criminal convictions, but Trump has said he will deport any foreigner deemed a “security risk,” “public charge” or “incompatible with Western civilization.”

“Denaturalization” and the cold war

In addition to the “permanent pause,” Trump promised to end all federal benefits to noncitizens and “denaturalize immigrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” He also promised to reverse admissions approved under the Biden administration, which he called “illegal” or “made by the automatic pen” of the former president.

The speech, which echoes terms from the global ultra-right, includes the expression “reverse migration”, suggesting a policy of accelerated reduction in immigrant populations – legal or not.

The use of the expression Third World — coined in 1952 by Alfred Sauvy to define countries not aligned with the powers in the Cold War — is today considered outdated and often carries a pejorative meaning. Sauvy made it clear that what he calls the “Third World” is not synonymous with a “poor country” in the simplistic sense. But, “the set of underdeveloped countries, ignored and exploited by the two great powers of the Cold War (USA and USSR).”

For Sauvy, these countries formed their own bloc, distinct from Western capitalism and Eastern socialism. They were in practice the largest and oldest bloc, but were treated as irrelevant and left aside by the disputes of the dominant “two worlds”.

Many of them, countries that had just been decolonized or internal processes of wars of independence in Asia, Africa and America. Experts remember that the terminology was given a new meaning by far-right groups as a way of hierarchizing cultures and nationalities with racist and xenophobic content.

Reactions and uncertainties about the scope of the measure

The White House and the immigration service did not comment on the announcement. Trump, in turn, did not specify how the supposed permanent suspension would work, nor which countries would be affected. Behind the scenes, the Department of Homeland Security only referred to the list of 19 countries under green card review.

Meanwhile, American cities are experiencing an increase in migratory operations; Trump seeks to achieve record numbers of deportations, including of long-staying people with no criminal record.

With the rhetoric reinforced by the tragedy in Washington, the government signals to deepen the strategy of linking immigration — even legal immigration — to security risks, in one of the most tense moments in United States migration policy.