‘Immigrants, baby, we get the job done’: Oscar Isaac jabs Trump’s migration halt at Gotham Awards

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Actor Oscar Isaac took a subtle jab at the Trump administration on Monday, December 1, while accepting the Vanguard Tribute Award at the 2025 Gotham Awards, as President Donald Trump paused immigration from “Third World” countries.

Trump made the decision a day after two National Guard members were shot, one of whom died from her injuries, in Washington, DC, last Wednesday. An Afghan national was identified as the primary shooting suspect.

Oscar Isaac speaks for 'immigrants' while accepting awards

Oscar Isaac took the podium and said, “I am proud to be standing here tonight.” He then referred to his colleagues and added, “A Guatemalan, an Australian, and a Mexican. Immigrants, baby, we get the job done.”

Isaac made the statement days after the POTUS announced a “permanent pause” on migration from “all Third World Countries” last Thursday. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, “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.”

Interestingly, the president did not specify what “third world” means or name any countries.

The phrase “third world” generally refers to Global South nations that are economically developing or disadvantaged. Trump further stated that “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country,” will be removed from the US.

He also announced that all federal benefits and subsidies for “noncitizens” will end, and that the administration will “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western civilisation.”

Kristi Noem pushes for nationwide travel ban after DC shooting

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called for a sweeping travel ban on all countries she says are sending dangerous immigrants into the US.

Noem announced on Monday that after a meeting with President Donald Trump, she is recommending a “full travel ban” on “every country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies."

She also criticized specific groups of immigrants as posing risks to public safety and claimed they were using resources intended for Americans. She added, “Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom, not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.”

She concluded her remarks by saying, “WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”

Noem further stated that the agency had paused all asylum rulings “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

The suspect in the DC shooting has been identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the US in 2021.