Trump Initiates Green Card Reevaluation from 19 Nations Over Security Concerns

Post by : Raina Nasser

In a significant move, the Trump administration has initiated a comprehensive review of green cards issued to individuals hailing from 19 countries, amid rising national security concerns. Joseph Edlow, the head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced President Donald Trump's directive for a “thorough and rigorous reassessment” of green cards held by those from nations deemed a security threat.

This decision follows a violent incident where an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly injured two National Guard members in Washington DC. Lakanwal, who arrived in the United States in 2021 under a special immigration program, is cited by Trump as an indication of an urgent need to reevaluate existing immigration policies.

While Edlow did not explicitly connect the green card review to the Washington incident, he emphasized that ensuring the safety of American citizens is the administration's foremost concern. The review encompasses immigrants from nations listed in a White House proclamation from June, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela, alongside others like Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, and Libya. This proclamation deemed security risks and high visa overstays as primary concerns.

The proclamation highlights particularly pressing issues such as Taliban control in Afghanistan, ineffective passport issuance, and inadequate vetting practices, all of which pose elevated risks to the U.S. Edlow pointed out that prior immigration measures had facilitated entry from hazardous regions without sufficient scrutiny, presenting a grave threat to national safety.

In tandem with the green card reassessment, Citizenship and Immigration Services has also launched a review of refugees admitted during the Biden administration. In light of the recent violent attack, the agency has temporarily halted processing all Afghan immigration applications while it evaluates security and vetting protocols.

These actions mark a transformative moment in U.S. immigration enforcement, with a heightened emphasis on national security and stricter controls for individuals from high-risk nations. The purpose of this review is to safeguard American public safety, signifying a broader shift toward enhanced scrutiny and protection for U.S. citizens.

This development represents a pivotal alteration in immigration policies, likely affecting thousands of green card holders from the countries now under review.