The Trump administration has announced a major review of all green cards issued to nationals from 19 countries it considers “countries of concern,” intensifying its immigration crackdown.
The directive, issued following the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, will reexamine every green card granted to immigrants from the identified nations. However, Nigeria — recently classified as a Country of Particular Concern — has been exempted from the move.
Joe Edlow, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), confirmed the directive on X, saying, “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
The 19 countries affected are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These nations were first designated under a June presidential proclamation.
USCIS stated that the review will now take into account “negative, country-specific factors,” including a country’s ability to issue secure identity documents.
The administration’s renewed focus on immigration follows the identification of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, as the suspect in the National Guard shootings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees USCIS, also announced a review of all asylum approvals issued under the previous Biden administration.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin added, “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
