 "Trump's 'Third World' immigration ban plan: Could India be affected?")
A shooting near the White House has sparked the latest round of fierce debate on immigration in the United States, after President Donald Trump declared that he will “permanently pause migration” from what he called “Third World Countries.” In two posts on Truth Social, Trump accused the previous Joe Biden administration of allowing “illegal admissions” and claimed that America had been “plain STUPID” on immigration. His comments have left many readers wondering whether India would be on such a list.
What the ‘Third World’ label actually means
The phrase “third world” surfaces often in political conversations, but it has no meaning in US immigration law. It originated during the Cold War to identify countries that were neither aligned with the United States nor the Soviet Union.
Over the decades, the phrase shifted into a loose way of referring to lower-income or conflict-affected nations, though it never gained legal status.
Advocate Rajat Sharma of Jotwani Associates said, “The term ‘Third World’ possesses no legal definition, authority, or formal standing in either Indian or international law. Originating as a Cold War era geopolitical expression, it was used to describe states that were neither aligned with the US led Western bloc nor the Soviet bloc. Although India, as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, was historically placed within this category, the expression was never incorporated into any statute, treaty, UN classification, or economic policy framework.”
He said, “In contemporary discourse, the term is regarded as obsolete and analytically inadequate. International institutions, including the United Nations and the World Bank, rely on clearly defined and legally recognised categories such as ‘developing country’, ‘least developed country (LDC)’, and income-based classifications, under which India is designated as a lower middle income economy based on Gross National Income and an emerging global power. Accordingly, the term ‘Third World’ carries no legal relevance in modern policy or academic usage.”
According to World Population Review, the modern use of the phrase refers to countries that face economic, political or social challenges.
India is often placed in this broad grouping in public discussions.
Who was Trump referring to?
The announcement came after a shooting near the White House carried out by an Afghan national.
Trump did not spell out which countries he was referring to. However, officials from the Department of Homeland Security have confirmed that he has ordered a review of asylum approvals and Green Cards issued to people from 19 countries.
Countries under DHS and USCIS review
• Afghanistan
• Myanmar
• Burundi
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Cuba
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Laos
• Libya
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela
• Yemen
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has also paused all immigration processing for Afghan nationals until further notice.
What Trump said
“Even as we have progressed technologically, Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many. I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen,” he said.
He also said his administration would “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
A shift toward harder immigration controls
Although the shooting suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was in the US legally, the incident has reinforced Trump’s push for tighter checks on all forms of migration.
He has already sent additional immigration officers to major American cities in an effort to increase deportations. Recent ICE figures show that more than two-thirds of the roughly 53,000 people arrested and detained as of November 15 had no criminal convictions.
Where India stands
By 2023, Indians were the second-largest foreign-born group in the United States, with more than 3.2 million residents. Each year, large numbers of Indians apply for study and work visas, and many experience long waits for Green Cards due to high demand.
While India is not on the list of “countries of concern”, the broader tightening of immigration procedures continues to draw close attention from Indian students, professionals and families who hope to move to or remain in the United States.