Migrants from 19 countries are at risk of having their US green cards revoked under a review announced by the Trump administration.
Donald Trump has directed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to revisit all cards issued to foreigners from ‘countries of concern’.
USCIS chief Joseph Edlow said his department would be conducting a ‘rigorous’ reexamination of documents to nationals of affected countries, which are thought to include Cuba, Afghanistan and Sudan among others.
He wrote on X: ‘The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable.’
Green cards, also known as permanent residence cards, entitle foreigners to live and work indefinitely in the US.
It is unclear what the reexamination will entail, however the announcement is thought to affect countries listed in a proclamation made by Trump outlining immigration restriction in June, the BBC reported.
The latest development comes days after two National Guard soldiers sustained injuries after being allegedly shot by an Afghan national.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is in custody following the attack.
He arrived in the US in 2021 under a scheme providing protection for Afghan citizens following the American withdrawal from the Asian country and subsequent Taliban takeover.
All immigration requests from Afghanistan have since been suspended by the USCIS.
In his response, Trump blamed the terrorist incident on the admission of ’20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners’ by the Biden administration.
‘No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival’, he wrote.
In his June proclamation, Trump targeted countries with a record of terrorism or lack of infrastructure for issuing bona fide passports, suspending all visas and entry for nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Visas have also been restricted for citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Last week, the USCIS separately launched a review of all citizens granted refugee status under Joe Biden.
Which countries are expected to be on the list?
Afghanistan
Burma
Burundi
Chad
Cuba
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Laos
Libya
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Togo
Turkmenistan
Venezuela
Yemen
