The Trump administration has announced a re-examination of green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries. This announcement follows an incident in Washington D.C., where an Afghan national allegedly shot and injured two National Guard troops.
Joseph Edlow, head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), stated that the president directed a "full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern." Edlow further commented that the protection of the country and its citizens remains paramount, and that Americans would not "bear the cost of the prior administration's reckless resettlement policies." The social media post from Edlow on Thursday regarding the review did not explicitly reference the attack.
The Afghan national involved in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021 under a program offering special immigration protections to Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Donald Trump described the shooting as underlining a significant national security threat.
USCIS pointed to a June proclamation from the White House when asked about the countries on the list. This proclamation included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela. Other countries whose green card holders will undergo this examination include Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, and Libya. The administration cited security concerns and the overstay rate of various visa types (business, student, tourist) as factors for a country's inclusion on the list.
The June proclamation specifically mentioned that "The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan," and noted Afghanistan's lack of "competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents" and "appropriate screening and vetting measures."
In related developments, USCIS recently announced a review of all refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden. Additionally, on Wednesday, the U.S. suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, citing a pending review of "security and vetting protocols."