Trump Revives Hardline Immigration Rhetoric in Thanksgiving Message
US President Donald Trump used a late-night Thanksgiving message on Thursday to intensify his criticism of immigration, political opponents and refugee policies, calling for what he described as a permanent suspension of migration from what he referred to as “Third World Countries.”
What began as a traditional Thanksgiving greeting on Trump’s Truth Social account quickly shifted into an extended attack on immigration and his Democratic political rivals. The president blamed immigration policies for a range of problems he associated with crime, public spending and national security.
Trump linked his latest immigration demands to a deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national was identified as the suspect. He argued that America had allowed itself to become divided and disrupted because of what he considers overly permissive immigration policies.
The comments represented another escalation in Trump’s immigration agenda following the Washington shooting. He did not provide a specific list of countries that would be covered by his proposed permanent migration pause, nor did he explain exactly how such a policy would be implemented.
Trump also returned to his criticism of Somali immigrants in Minnesota, an issue he had raised earlier that evening. Speaking to reporters, he accused Somali immigrants of creating problems and said his administration would no longer accept people from Somalia while promising that many would be sent back.
The president’s comments came amid a broader political dispute over Minnesota, where a large Somali-American community has lived for decades.
Trump further described Minnesota as a center of fraudulent activity and claimed that Somali refugees were effectively taking control of the state. Those assertions became part of a wider political argument over immigration, government spending and alleged fraud in Minnesota.
Trump Targets Gov. Tim Walz With Offensive Slur
Trump’s Thanksgiving message also contained a personal attack on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, using an offensive slur aimed at people with intellectual disabilities while accusing the governor of failing to address immigration-related concerns.
Trump attributed Walz’s position to what he characterized as either fear or incompetence and continued his criticism of Minnesota’s Democratic leadership.
Walz responded on X by reposting Trump’s message and writing, “Release the MRI results.” His response referred to Trump’s previous disclosure that he had undergone an MRI during a medical examination, although the president had not publicly explained why the scan was performed.
Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and Immigration Policy
Trump also directed his criticism toward Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and has lived in the United States for roughly three decades.
He attacked Omar personally, criticizing her political views and making derogatory remarks about her appearance and religious clothing. He also portrayed Somalia in highly negative terms and accused Omar of repeatedly criticizing the United States.
The president then connected his broader immigration argument to Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused in the Washington, D.C., shooting. According to reporting cited by CNN, Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and received approval in April 2025, after Trump had returned to office.
The case became politically significant because Lakanwal had originally entered the United States in September 2021 through an Afghanistan resettlement program following the US withdrawal from the country. Reporting also indicated that he had previously worked with US-backed forces in Afghanistan.
When questions were raised about the vetting of Afghan arrivals and the timing of Lakanwal’s asylum approval, Trump criticized the reporter and did not directly confirm whether the approval had occurred under his administration.
Trump’s broader message argued that immigrants were arriving from countries he considered unstable and that some were allegedly connected to criminal organizations, prisons or other institutions. He also criticized the welfare benefits available to noncitizens.
He then repeated his call for a “permanent pause” on migration from countries he described as “Third World,” saying the goal was to give the American immigration system time to recover.
Trump further said his administration would seek to remove foreign nationals whom it considered security threats, public charges or incompatible with what he called Western civilization. He also promoted the idea of “reverse migration” as the ultimate solution to what he described as America’s immigration crisis.
The remarks followed a series of immigration measures already announced by the administration. Earlier on Thursday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said Trump had ordered a broad review of green-card holders from countries considered to be of concern.
Edlow described the review as a “full-scale” examination and said that protecting American safety was a priority for the administration. USCIS had also announced an immediate suspension of immigration requests involving Afghan nationals following the Washington shooting.
What Trump’s Proposed Migration Pause Could Mean
Trump’s use of the phrase “permanent pause” raised immediate questions about the scope and legal meaning of the proposal. He did not identify which countries would be included, leaving the precise reach of the announcement unclear.
The term “Third World Countries” also has no specific legal definition in US immigration law. In modern political and economic discussions, the phrase is often used broadly for developing or economically disadvantaged nations, making it unclear how the administration would translate Trump’s statement into a specific immigration policy.
Any sweeping immigration restriction would also have to operate within the existing US legal framework. Previous immigration restrictions introduced during Trump’s presidency have faced legal and political challenges, meaning that a presidential announcement alone would not necessarily settle how such a policy could be implemented.
Minnesota and the Somali-American Community
Trump’s repeated focus on Minnesota’s Somali population has added another dimension to the immigration debate.
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali-American communities in the United States, and Representative Ilhan Omar has become one of its most prominent political figures. Trump’s criticism of Omar and Governor Walz has therefore drawn strong attention from Democrats and immigrant advocates.
His claims about Somali gangs and the community “taking over” Minnesota have been challenged by critics, who argue that allegations involving individual criminal cases should not be generalized to an entire immigrant or ethnic community. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Democrats and immigrant advocates strongly condemned Trump’s Thanksgiving posts.
The White House later continued its criticism of Minnesota, pointing to a major pandemic-era fraud case and arguing that the state government had failed to prevent extensive misuse of public funds.
Immigration Becomes a Central Political Issue
Trump’s Thanksgiving message illustrates how immigration remains one of the defining political issues of his presidency.
Since returning to office, Trump has pursued tougher immigration policies, including restrictions on entry, expanded enforcement efforts and increased scrutiny of immigration applications. The Washington shooting provided a new opportunity for the administration to argue that stricter screening and immigration controls are necessary.
Critics, however, have warned against using an individual criminal case to characterize entire immigrant communities or countries. They have also questioned whether broad restrictions based on nationality would fairly distinguish between individuals who pose security risks and those who do not.
The debate is likely to continue as the administration considers additional immigration restrictions and reviews existing immigration cases.
Trump Ends Thanksgiving Message With Warning
Trump concluded his Thanksgiving statement with another sharp warning aimed at people he believes are hostile to the United States.
Rather than ending with a conventional holiday message, he excluded people whom he accused of hating, stealing, murdering or destroying what America represents. He then warned that such people would not remain in the country for long.
The message underscored the increasingly confrontational tone of Trump’s immigration policy and demonstrated how quickly a traditional holiday statement could become a platform for political attacks, immigration demands and warnings of further deportations.
