President Trump ordered the United States to withdraw from the Migration Forum on Wednesday, cutting ties with a United Nations–linked body long criticized for promoting policies that weaken national border enforcement. The move formally ends U.S. participation in the Global Forum on Migration and Development and reinforces the administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
The executive order pulls the U.S. out of a forum closely associated with the U.N.’s Global Compact for Migration, a nonbinding framework that encourages international coordination on migration policy. The Trump administration has consistently opposed the compact, arguing it undermines sovereignty and pressures nations to accept mass migration. Officials say the Migration Forum helped advance the idea of an international right to migrate.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the decision reflects a clear policy shift. “For too long, international organizations have fueled an endless flow of mass migration and have sought to compel Americans to accept the same destructive agenda,” Pigott said. “Under President Trump, the era of mass migration is over.”
Pigott added that the administration will not back groups that “run cover for illegal immigration or attempt to erode America’s sovereignty.” He identified the Global Forum on Migration and Development as a leading advocate of migration policies opposed by the administration.
The forum has drawn criticism for opposing what it calls the “criminalization of migration” and for hosting events warning against the “normalization of rapid mass deportations.” In a 2020 document, the group urged governments and media outlets to avoid terms such as “illegal migrant,” arguing the language fuels polarization. The organization has acknowledged receiving input from George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.
Administration officials say leaving the Migration Forum underscores President Trump’s effort to reassert U.S. control over immigration and reject global pressure campaigns that normalize mass migration. During his first term, President Trump similarly withdrew from several U.N.-backed initiatives, citing conflicts with U.S. law and sovereignty.
