President Donald Trump has declared to put a permanent pause on "migration from all third world countries" after two National Guard members were shot in Washington DC.
On Thursday, November 27, Trump wished Americans Thanksgiving in a social media post, which also noted that his administration would "end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens" and remove "anyone who is not a net asset to the United States".
Earlier in the night, Trump announced the death of Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two guard members shot in the attack close to the White House on Wednesday.
Authorities suspect the shooting was carried out by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021 under a Biden-era programme that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands from Afghanistan after the chaotic US withdrawal from the country.
The CIA confirmed that Lakanwal worked with US forces during the US war in Afghanistan and that he was granted asylum in April 2025 by the Trump administration.
He was injured in the attack and remains in custody. A second National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, is in critical condition.
The president's late-night post appeared to mark an escalation in the anti-migrant policies of his second term, which has been dominated by a campaign of mass deportations.
A travel ban issued in 2017 during Trump’s first term was widely criticised and faced legal and popular resistance when Trump tried to impose it immediately after taking office.
National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington DC since August, when the Trump administration ordered troops to the city as part of his crackdown on crime.
Following the Wednesday shooting, President Trump said he would send 500 more National Guard troops to Washington DC.
