Donald Trump declares new plan to droop immigration. Credit score: Rawpixel.com, Shutterstock
US President Donald Trump has sparked a brand new political firestorm by vowing to “completely finish immigration from all Third World nations.” The phrase shortly drew criticism as outdated and offensive. The announcement got here late on Thanksgiving Day, amid heightened tensions over the taking pictures of two Nationwide Guard troopers by an Afghan close to the White Home.
It’s one in every of President Trump’s most far-reaching statements but on immigration, and it comes at a weak time for the US, the place nationwide safety issues and political messages are as soon as once more colliding.
Robust guarantees after the White Home taking pictures
Trump’s posts on the Fact Social platform had been frank and unapologetic. He has promised to quickly shut the door on immigrants from “Third World nations” and to take away those that he says are “not a web asset” to the nation.
The timing raised eyebrows. Only a day earlier, a 29-year-old Afghan man who entered the US in 2021 by way of Operation Come up Welcome, a program created to resettle Afghans aiding U.S. troops, was arrested in reference to a taking pictures Wednesday that focused two West Virginia Nationwide Guard troopers on patrol in downtown Washington.
President Trump instantly linked the assault to what he known as a “damaged” immigration system and promised a basic rethink of who’s allowed to remain within the nation.
He went additional and stated:
- Eradicate federal advantages for all noncitizens;
- denaturalizing immigrants who’re deemed to undermine “home tranquility”;
- deporting these labeled as “public offenses” or “safety dangers”;
- and abolish a particular visa route for Afghans who cooperated with the U.S. navy earlier than the Taliban takeover.
His message was clear. The foundations will change shortly and shortly.
Inexperienced card below scrutiny: 19 nations fly flag
Even earlier than President Trump’s late-night declaration, the administration was already taking motion.
On Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies (USCIS) froze all immigration functions from Afghan nationals pending safety screening.
Hours later, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow confirmed in X that he had ordered an entire reexamination of all inexperienced playing cards issued to immigrants from 19 “nations of concern.”
These nations flagged in June’s presidential proclamation embody:
Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Cuba, Venezuela, Chad, Eritrea and others have been recognized as having weak safety and vetting programs.
Critics say the measure dangers punishing authorized residents solely on the premise of their nationality and will have an effect on tens of hundreds of inexperienced card holders who haven’t dedicated a criminal offense.
Up to now, USCIS has not stated whether or not the evaluate might result in mass deportations or revocations. It is also unclear how Trump’s new pledge to utterly minimize off immigration from growing nations will work together with the prevailing evaluate.
Coverage state of affairs stuffed with uncertainty
The White Home insists the transfer is about nationwide safety, particularly after two troopers had been significantly injured within the assault in Washington. Officers stated the Afghan suspect acted alone.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth has already approved the deployment of 500 extra Nationwide Guard troops to the nation’s capital, becoming a member of the greater than 2,200 troops already patrolling as a part of President Trump’s controversial anti-crime and anti-immigration crackdown.
However whereas the political message has turn into clearer, the result of those new migration actions stays extremely unsure.
Will authorized residents even be focused?
Will the long-standing visa program be abolished?
And the way far is the administration keen to go within the title of nationwide safety?
For now, the one certainty is that this debate has entered yet one more explosive part. That stage is prone to dominate headlines nicely past Thanksgiving.
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