The Trump administration has ordered a review of green cards issued to immigrants from 19 countries listed in the presidential executive order on immigration restrictions. The move follows a shooting near the White House involving an Afghan national, the BBC’s Russian Service reports.
According to Acting USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, President Trump directed a “full and thorough review of every green card issued to foreign nationals from every country of concern.”
Details about how the review will be conducted have not been disclosed.
USCIS referred to Trump’s executive order issued in June, which banned entry from 12 countries and imposed restrictions on an additional seven, including Turkmenistan. The order cited the need to protect the U.S. from “foreign terrorists and other national security threats,” pointing to issues such as security risks and high rates of visa overstays.
In the case of Afghanistan, the order noted the lack of effective state institutions capable of verifying documents.
Among those targeted for review are nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Libya.
The decision to tighten immigration policy came after a shooting near the White House last Wednesday. Authorities suspect 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwala, who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under a special immigration program for Afghan allies, opened fire on National Guard troops. Two soldiers were critically wounded, and one of them — 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom — later died in hospital.
Donald Trump called the incident a “serious national security threat” and sharply criticized the immigration policies of the previous administration, saying the U.S. should not “bear the consequences of reckless decisions that put the country at risk.”
Reuters reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on November 24 ordered a broad review of all refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden, an unprecedented move that reportedly could reopen cases of thousands who sought U.S. protection.
The order would apply to about 233,000 refugees who entered between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025. It also orders a halt to all processing of applications for permanent residence for refugees who entered under Biden.
