Following the tragic shooting of two National Guard members in Washington D.C. by an Afghan national, President Donald Trump has directed the USCIS to launch a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of all Green Cards held by permanent residents from 19 “countries of concern.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The new policy:
- It empowers USCIS officers to treat a resident’s country of origin as a major “adverse factor” when evaluating their immigration status.
- The review targets the same 19 nations listed in a June presidential directive.
The List of 19 Countries: 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.
Impact on Indians: The good news: India is NOT on this list. This specific Green Card review will not affect Indian nationals. However, experts caution that this step is part of a broader immigration crackdown by the administration, hinting at potential policy shifts in the future
DC Shooting Triggers Massive Green Card Crackdown on 19 Nations
USCIS to Review Every Green Card from ‘Countries of Concern’ as Immigration Vetting Tightens.
In the immediate wake of the deadly shooting of two National Guard members near the White House by an Afghan national, President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping immigration review.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow announced that he has been directed to conduct a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of all Green Cards for permanent residents hailing from 19 countries. This move applies even to long-time residents and is justified by the administration as a necessary security measure.
Key Policy Shift: USCIS officers can now use an applicant’s country of origin as a “strong adverse factor” when assessing immigration benefits.
The 19 Targeted Nations Include: Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Cuba, Venezuela, and several others in Africa and Asia.
Will India be impacted? While Indian nationals are not included in this list, immigration experts view the directive as a significant escalation of the administration’s crackdown, suggesting that further restrictive immigration policies may be forthcoming.
Major US Immigration News: Trump Orders Green Card Review
President Trump has ordered a “rigorous reexamination” of all Green Cards held by residents from 19 “countries of concern,” following the D.C. shooting by an Afghan national.
The Bottom Line:
- Your country of birth can now be a major “adverse factor” in your immigration status review.
- The 19 Countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Cuba, Venezuela, and 14 others.
- For Indians: India is NOT on this specific list, but experts see this as part of a wider crackdown.
Protecting the homeland is the stated reason, with USCIS Director Edlow declaring, “American lives come first.”
