Washington: The United States is set to close its borders to third-world countries as President Donald Trump declared a permanent suspension of immigration from these nations. This announcement came in response to the shooting death of a National Guard soldier by an Afghan migrant.
According to Thai News Agency, President Trump, through his social media platform, Truth Social, emphasized that the suspension aims to allow the US system to fully recover. The measures include the elimination of all federal benefits and subsidies for non-US citizens, revocation of citizenship for immigrants who disrupt national peace and stability, and deportation of foreigners regarded as societal burdens or national security threats.
USA Today reported that Trump has directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to review the status of permanent residents or green card holders from all countries deemed a concern. USCIS Administrator Joseph Edlow confirmed that a comprehensive review of all green cards from these nations is underway, as per the president's directive.
USCIS has announced new guidance for a country-by-country assessment of adverse factors in vetting immigration applications from 19 identified high-risk countries. This directive is effective immediately for applications pending or filed from November 27th onwards. The countries listed include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The announcement followed an incident where an Afghan immigrant, identified as Rahmanullah Laganwal, ambushed two National Guard soldiers near the White House, resulting in one fatality and leaving the other critically injured. Laganwal was subsequently wounded and hospitalized.