…the review is expected to cover current Green Card holders, recent asylum recipients, and pending applications.
Washington, United States — The iNews Times | The Trump administration on Thursday ordered a sweeping review of green cards and the immigration status of all permanent residents from Afghanistan and 18 other countries, following the deadly attack on National Guard troops deployed in the U.S. capital.
The move marks one of the most aggressive immigration crackdowns of Trump’s second term, coming less than 24 hours after officials identified the suspected gunman as a 29-year-old Afghan national who once worked alongside American forces in Afghanistan.
U.S. authorities said the suspect, who opened fire on a patrol unit near the White House on Wednesday, had been living in the country after receiving asylum earlier this year, not permanent residency according to AfghanEvac, an organisation assisting Afghans resettled in the United States since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The clarification undercut early speculation that the assailant was a Green Card holder.
Joseph Edlow, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced the new directive in a statement posted on X, saying he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” The review expands the administration’s tightening of immigration protocols and follows a June executive order signed by President Trump designating 19 nations as “countries of Identified Concern.”
Under the order, nearly all nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and Congo-Brazzaville are barred from entering the United States. Seven additional nations face partial restrictions, though some temporary employment visas remain available. These include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Senior security officials say Wednesday’s attack, described as an ambush, has intensified pressure on the White House to further tighten screening and expand surveillance of immigrants from conflict-linked regions. The review is expected to cover current Green Card holders, recent asylum recipients, and pending applications tied to the listed countries.
The administration has not yet confirmed when the reexamination will begin or how many residents may be affected, but immigration analysts warn the directive could trigger widespread uncertainty among lawful residents whose status had previously been considered secure.
