Trump Moves to Halt Migration from “Third-World Countries”

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to suspend migration from what he referred to as “third-world countries,” following an incident in Washington involving an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers. In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump argued that although the United States has made significant technological progress, the current immigration system has “eroded those gains.” He proposed halting migration from “all Third World Countries” to allow what he described as a full recovery of the nation’s systems.

Reversing Immigration Under Previous Administrations

Trump stated that he aims to overturn what he called “millions of Biden illegal admissions.” He also emphasized his intention to remove individuals he considers “not a net asset to the United States” or “incapable of loving our Country.” Additionally, he noted that any foreign national viewed as a “public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization” should face deportation.

Understanding the Origins of the Term “Third World”

The classification of First, Second and Third World countries emerged during the Cold War, when global powers were divided between the US-led Western Bloc and the communist Eastern Bloc. Nations that did not align with either side were grouped as the Third World. Although often associated with economically underdeveloped regions, the term is now widely regarded as outdated. The First World historically included democratic, industrialized nations like the United States, Western Europe, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Some African territories tied to Western powers, including Western Sahara under Spain and apartheid-era South Africa, were also categorized in this group. Several neutral countries—Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Ireland and Finland—were similarly considered First World. The Second World referred to communist states led by the Soviet Union and China, spanning Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, including Mongolia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. All remaining nations, particularly agricultural and economically struggling states across Africa, Asia and Latin America, were placed into the Third World category.

Trump’s Ongoing Immigration Crackdown

The Trump administration announced on November 28 that it would reexamine the immigration status of every permanent resident from Afghanistan and 18 other countries. Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), stated on X that he had ordered a “full scale, rigorous reexamination” of all Green Cards belonging to individuals from countries deemed “of concern.” A USCIS spokesperson clarified that the list of these countries comes from Trump’s June 2025 executive order, which labels 19 nations as “of Identified Concern.”

Countries Designated as “Identified Concern”

The executive order imposed a full travel ban on nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. A partial travel ban was introduced for seven more countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

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Sorit Chaudhary

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