New York— Following the killing of a National Guard soldier near the White House, US President Donald Trump has escalated his immigration rhetoric, threatening to strip citizenship from individuals he claims disrupt “domestic tranquility” and to halt migration from what he termed “third world countries.”
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to target “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.” He added that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” to allow the US “to recover” from declining “national gains and living standards.” He did not define which nations he considers “third world.”
The statements come amid renewed debate over immigration following Wednesday’s shooting of two National Guard soldiers. One of them, Sarah Beckstrom, died on Thursday, and the other remains in critical condition. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal — an Afghan national who worked with the CIA and was brought to the US under a protection program — has been charged in the attack.
Trump’s new proposals expand on his earlier pledges to deport an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants, extending now to legal residents and even US citizens. His criteria for stripping citizenship include being “non-compatible with Western Civilisation.”
The President also said he would remove welfare and government benefits from non-citizens, a category that includes Green Card holders. Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said he has ordered a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
A list Trump released in June includes 19 “countries of concern,” among them Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Cuba, Venezuela, and others.
Trump wrote that he intends to “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilisation.” He suggested some immigrants were admitted through an “unauthorised and illegal Autopen approval process,” alleging President Joe Biden did not personally sign certain orders. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” he wrote.
While Trump has pushed for broad restrictions, he has also voiced support for skilled migration, particularly through the H1B visa programme, which he called essential for US industries and national defense. His administration has placed new conditions on the programme, including requiring sponsors to pay a $100,000 fee for bringing professionals from abroad, though the rule does not apply to those already in the US.
Trump cited statistics claiming most of the country’s foreign-born population of 53 million are on welfare or come from unstable backgrounds. However, government labor data contradicts this. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, immigrant men participate in the workforce at significantly higher rates than native-born men, and median earnings for foreign-born full-time workers exceed $50,000 per year. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that many immigrant groups, including Indian and Asian immigrants overall, have substantially higher median household incomes than the national average.
The administration recently ordered cuts to food assistance for certain lawful residents, including refugees and asylum recipients. Attorneys general from 21 Democratic-led states are challenging the policy in federal court.
The countries currently designated for extra vetting include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. (Source: IANS)
