U.S. immigration policy appears to be undergoing a major shift. On November 27, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he would indefinitely suspend immigration from “third world countries.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Government has also begun reviewing asylum, refugee and green card cases approved in recent years. If reviews uncover so-called “risks,” “incomplete information” or anything deemed “contrary to U.S. interests,” those affected could have their status revoked or even face deportation proceedings.
Immigration has been a central focus for Trump across both of his terms. During his first term, he began construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and in 2017 issued the “Muslim ban” restricting citizens from certain Islamic countries from entering the U.S. In his second term, Trump signed multiple executive orders related to immigration policy on the first day of his presidency, including ending birthright citizenship and suspending the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Additionally, he has tightened requirements for H-1B work visa applications and granted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expanded authority to arrest “undocumented immigrants.”
Tightening immigration policy fulfills Trump’s campaign promises—a significant portion of his supporters are anxious about demographic changes in America and hope to reshape the population structure to maintain the dominance of white Americans. The immediate trigger for his announcement to suspend immigration from “third world countries” was the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House on the November 26, which left one dead and one critically injured. The suspect is a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through the refugee resettlement program implemented by the Joe Biden administration.
Americans have not forgotten the 9/11 terrorist attacks launched by the Afghanistan-based Al Qaeda organization in 2001. By linking this shooting near the White House by an Afghan refugee to the previous administration’s immigration policies, the current administration can not only make its immigration crackdowns appear more justified and shore up support among its base, but also turn the tables on the Democrats.
The contours of the new immigration policy are becoming clearer. The Trump administration may progressively expand the scope of suspensions through executive orders, adding to the list of nationalities for which visa, asylum and family reunification applications will be frozen, while strengthening review mechanisms for existing immigrants and pushing for federal benefits reform. Through enforcement pressure and economic hardship, the aim is to reverse immigration flows—driving away people who would otherwise come to the U.S.
What are the potential consequences? Some argue that restrictive immigration policies could ease fiscal and welfare spending pressures in the U.S., boost employment rates among less-educated Americans and drive up wages for low-income workers. Yet it’s important to recognize that many U.S. industries—including agriculture, caregiving and food service—are heavily reliant on immigrant labor. These sectors may face labor shortages and rising labor costs in the future. Meanwhile, restrictions on highly educated immigrants are also mounting, which could force tech and innovation-driven companies that depend on overseas talent to adjust their hiring strategies or even relocate portions of their operations to countries with more lenient immigration policies.
More fundamentally, Washington’s readiness to impose sweeping restrictions on specific countries or groups in the name of “national security” is itself a form of racially discriminatory bias. At a time when racial tensions in the U.S. are already intensifying, government-sanctioned differential treatment of different nationalities and ethnic groups will affect far more than just new immigrants—American minority communities will inevitably feel the impact as well. When minority and immigrant communities are subjected to prolonged scrutiny or even hostility, their social relationships and sense of identity come under sustained pressure, creating a vicious cycle.
The U.S. has long prided itself on being a “melting pot” and cultural “mosaic.” The national narrative at the heart of American identity is that America is composed of immigrants from different nations around the world, with each immigrant group retaining certain distinctive characteristics while blending their people and cultures into the American fabric, together forming a new cultural entity and pursuing the “American dream.” Today, this story is being rewritten. Whether America can continue to be a multicultural “melting pot” has become a defining question for the nation’s present and future.–The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
