The Trump administration will re-evaluate the green cards of those from 19 countries in the wake of the shooting against two National Guard members.
“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,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said on social media, adding, “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.”
Countries of concern include Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen. The countries were listed in a June proclamation.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are, in my judgment, necessary to prevent the entry or admission of foreign nationals about whom the United States Government lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose to the United States,” the proclamation read.
Edlow’s statement follows USCIS announcing that it would stop processing immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS said this week. “The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
USCIS announced the immigration processing pause after President Trump urged federal agencies to “reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
