Trump Says He’ll Block Migrants From the Third World. How Far Could That Policy Go?

A Thanksgiving message shared by U.S. President Donald J. Trump has sparked fresh debate this week after it called for a “permanent pause” on migration from what he labelled “Third World Countries”. 

The message singled out Somalia, referenced refugees, and warned that only “reverse migration” could “cure” America.

The tone was unmistakably confrontational. But behind the rhetoric is a larger question: who exactly are the immigrants Trump is talking about, and what does the data actually say?

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Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving post didn’t happen in a vacuum. It came right after a shocking incident near the White House, where a National Guard member, Sarah Beckstrom, was killed and another, Andrew Wolfe, seriously injured. 

The suspected shooter is an Afghan national who had been admitted to the U.S. under an asylum programme. That tragic event gave Trump a flashpoint to link the shooting to his long-standing concerns about immigration. 

Blaming it on what he calls ‘Biden’s illegal admission’, he is pushing a project that has been in the making for years.

In his post, Trump declared he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries” and cut federal benefits for non-citizens, framing the attack as evidence of what he sees as the dangers of “unchecked” immigration. 

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“Third world” is a dated Cold War term often used to refer to low- and middle-income countries across Africa, large parts of Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In modern migration reporting, it’s more useful to talk about regions (sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East/North Africa) or income categories (low- and middle-income countries).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States had about 51.9 million immigrants in 2025, most of whom came from Asia, Latin America/the Caribbean, and Africa.

In 2025, the United States remained home to a diverse immigrant population originating from across the Global South. 

Mexican-born immigrants, at roughly 10.6 million, continued to represent the largest foreign-born group in the country, making up about 22% of all immigrants, though this share has steadily declined since 2010.

India was the next largest contributor, with approximately 4.9 million Indian-born residents, or about 66% of the foreign-born population in 2023. 

Here is a detailed breakdown: 

• As of 2024, immigrants born in sub‑Saharan Africa made up about 5% (2.5 million) of the total 50.2 million U.S. immigrant population (i.e., foreign‑born population) in 2024.
  

• Among sub‑Saharan African immigrants, a disproportionate share comes from a small group of countries. Roughly 56% of sub‑Saharan African immigrants in the U.S. were born in one of five countries: Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, or South Africa.
  

• Focusing on Nigeria: by 2023, the number of U.S. residents born in Nigeria reached about 476,000 (With about 760,000 when including U.S.-born Nigerian-Americans) (Intelpoint). That makes Nigeria the single largest African source country for U.S. immigrants. 

• This is followed by Ethiopia (~331,000), Ghana (~223,000), and Kenya (~150,000). Somalia, a frequent subject of U.S. political debate, accounted for just about 97,000 immigrants nationwide.

• As of mid‑2023, the second‑largest immigrant group in the U.S. by country of birth was Indians: about 3.2 million U.S. residents were born in India, representing roughly 6% of all immigrants.
  

• Immigrants from China stood at approximately 2.3 million, representing about 5%. China ranks as the third-largest country of origin for immigrants in the U.S.

• Other prominent countries of origin in the Global South include the Philippines (around 2 million), Vietnam (1.4 million), the Dominican Republic (1.3 million), Guatemala (1.1 million), and Colombia (880,000).

• In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. received 945,370 asylum applications — a record high.
  

• In that same year, the U.S. granted asylum (affirmatively or defensively) to about 54,350 individuals (principal applicants + dependents) — the highest number in decades.
  

• Previous years also saw notable asylum decisions: in 2022, about 36,615 individuals were granted asylum.

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People are drawn to better jobs, higher wages, and economic stability. Nigerian and Indian migrants, for example, have high educational attainment and often move for professional or academic reasons.

The U.S. remains a top destination for international students, especially from India and Nigeria. Student visas often become longer-term pathways.

Somalia is the clearest example. Decades of conflict created a large refugee diaspora. Refugee and asylum channels exist specifically for such situations.

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Anti-immigrant propaganda, especially from high-profile leaders like Trump, increases anxiety and reduces engagement with services like schools, healthcare, or police.

While a social media post does not change immigration law, it often foreshadows:

• Tougher visa vetting
  

• Shorter visa validity (already seen for Nigeria in 2025)
  

• Stricter enforcement priorities

To actually halt migration from dozens of countries, the government would need:

• New regulations or executive orders
  

• Legal justification
  

• Diplomatic engagement
  

• And likely court battles

Immigration flows move through channels governed by Congressional statutes, not internet posts.

Migrants from India, Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, and others contribute to:

• Healthcare
  

• Technology
  

• Universities
  

• Remittances
  

• Local economies

A sweeping ban would disrupt all of that.

Trump’s Thanksgiving message is attention-grabbing and a knee-jerk reaction to the Washington shooting, but the migration patterns he’s referencing are longstanding, diverse, and shaped by various factors, including:

• Economic realities,
  

•  Existing laws,
  

• Refugee commitments, and
  

• Global mobility patterns—not by a single political announcement.