President Donald Trump moved rapidly to launch one of the most aggressive immigration crackdowns in years after a deadly terror attack near the White House.
On Thursday, he announced plans to permanently halt migration from Third World countries while ordering a full audit of green cards issued to immigrants from 19 nations.
The dramatic shift in policy followed the killing of 20-year-old National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom, who was gunned down while on duty in the nation’s capital.
The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the United States in 2021 through “Operation Allies Welcome,” a program created during President Joe Biden’s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
Trump has repeatedly accused Biden of allowing unvetted migrants into the country and said the tragedy underscored the failures of the previous administration.
In a fiery Truth Social statement Thursday night, Trump declared, “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” while pledging to dismantle the federal benefits system for noncitizens.”
Trump laid out a sweeping list of reforms that include revoking citizenship from foreign nationals deemed threats to American stability and deporting anyone considered a security risk or “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
He argued that the nation must reverse the migration flow, writing, “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation. Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for – You won’t be here for long!”
Earlier in the day, Trump ordered an unprecedented review of every green card issued to immigrants from what his administration considers high-risk regions.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced the move publicly, saying, “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
In a follow-up, he noted that protecting American lives would take priority over what he called the “reckless resettlement policies” of the prior administration.
A memo from June listed Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela among the countries subject to review.
The orders came on the heels of disturbing revelations about the accused gunman.
Authorities say Lakanwal, 29, previously worked with a U.S. partner force in Afghanistan, a detail confirmed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
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He noted that despite Lakanwal’s prior association with the agency, he “should have never been allowed to come here.”
Ratcliffe said Biden officials justified his entry due to his service with U.S. personnel in Kandahar.
When a reporter suggested that Lakanwal’s vetting occurred under Trump’s administration rather than Biden’s, the president rejected the claim at a press conference.
The reporter stated, “Actually, your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration for what this man did?”
Trump immediately pushed back, calling her a “stupid person” and insisting that Biden officials allowed waves of migrants into the country with little oversight.
“Because they let them in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” he said, noting that they were part of a mass entry he believes never should have occurred.
The emotional weight of the moment was evident earlier in the day when Trump delivered the devastating news of Beckstrom’s death on a live-streamed call with service members.
“Just seconds before I went on, right now, I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we were talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person… outstanding in every way, she’s just passed away,” he announced.
The District of Columbia National Guard later confirmed her death. Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Trump amped up his criticism of Biden late Thursday, vowing to “terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen.”
🚨 BREAKING: Trump says he is permanently pausing "migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a… pic.twitter.com/DN9QNNktBp
— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) November 28, 2025
He also promised to remove any foreign national not contributing to the nation or unwilling to “love our Country,” while cutting off federal subsidies and benefits for all noncitizens.
He argued that many migrants were bringing instability into the country, citing census data showing 53 million foreigners now reside in the United States.
Trump said “most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels,” claiming American taxpayers bear the burden because of their “beautiful hearts” and reluctance to complain.
“Americans put up with what has happened to our Country, but it’s eating them alive to do so,” Trump added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced plans to pursue the death penalty for Lakanwal, declaring, “We will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country.”
🚨 AG PAM BONDI IS ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS:
“If either of these two heroes dies from this Afghan savage’s bullets, we are pursuing the DE@TH PENALTY.”
He should receive that sentence either way, SWIFTLY AND PUBLICLY!
pic.twitter.com/UtXg5tgeUl— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) November 27, 2025
Trump publicly called the shooting “an act of terror,” while FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters that investigators are treating the case as a terrorism probe.
Lakanwal currently faces multiple charges, including assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said charges will likely be upgraded following Beckstrom’s death.
