US President Donald Trump announced that he intends to impose a permanent halt on immigration from what he described as “third-world countries,” arguing that the United States must stop all forms of illegal entry in order to stabilize the system. His statement followed the fatal shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, an attack carried out by an Afghan national. One of the soldiers died from her injuries, while the second remains in critical condition.

In a message published on Truth Social, Trump said the United States needed to suspend migration from those countries to “allow the system to fully recover” and to undo what he called “millions of illegal admissions” under the previous administration. He said the government would move to remove anyone deemed harmful or unable to contribute positively to the country, cut federal benefits for noncitizens, revoke citizenship from individuals he accused of undermining public order, and expel foreign nationals he described as security threats or incompatible with American values. Trump framed these steps as part of a broader effort aimed at dramatically reducing groups he considers illegal or disruptive, again criticizing the previous administration’s use of what he labeled an “unauthorized autopen approval process.”

Trump added that only what he termed “reverse migration” could resolve what he sees as a deepening crisis. He ended his statement with a Thanksgiving message, saying the holiday excluded those who “hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for,” adding that such people “won’t be here for long.”

The President argued that the scale of refugee resettlement has strained the United States socially and financially. He said the current foreign-born population, which he cited at 53 million according to census figures, includes many who rely on government assistance or who arrived from unstable states, prisons, gangs, or criminal networks. He claimed that American taxpayers were covering “massive payments” to support these families and said a single migrant household earning 30,000 dollars could receive benefits valued at approximately 50,000 dollars annually. According to Trump, the cumulative burden has contributed to numerous domestic problems — from crime and failing schools to hospital overcrowding and growing deficits — issues he said were not present after World War II.

His remarks came shortly after US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued updated guidance related to immigration reviews from 19 identified high-risk countries, a step taken in response to the Washington shooting. The agency said in a statement that it would now assess specific country-based information when making discretionary decisions, following earlier restrictions on Afghan refugee admissions during Trump’s first term.

Trump also confirmed that one of the two wounded National Guard members had died. The soldier, 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom from West Virginia, was among those shot near the White House. Trump called the attack a “horrific assault” and said he had spoken with her family. The other service member, 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.