The Trump administration has said that it will re-examine green cards issued to people who immigrated to America from 19 countries.
The head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said the President had directed him to conduct a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern.”
When the BBC asked which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June White House announcement that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.
The announcement comes after an Afghan civilian allegedly opened fire on two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC on Wednesday, seriously injuring both of them.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, came to the US in 2021 under a program that offered special immigration protection to Afghans in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump said the shootings highlight a major national security threat.
Edlow’s social media post Thursday about the broader green card review did not explicitly mention that attack.
Edlow said, “The security of this country and the American people is paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the former administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”
There were no further details about what the re-examination would look like.
His agency highlighted the BBC’s June proclamation that aimed to ban foreign nationals from entering the United States to protect against “foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.”
The administration said security concerns and overstay rates for business, student and tourist visas were among the reasons for making the list for a country.
“The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan,” the proclamation said. “Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority to issue passports or civil documents and does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures in place.”
Other countries whose green card holders must undergo this test include Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo and Libya.
There was a strong reaction from Trump after Wednesday’s attack on members of the US military.
“This attack highlights the greatest national security threat our country faces,” the president said. “The previous administration allowed in 20 million unidentified and unvetted foreigners from around the world from places you don’t even want to know about. No country can afford that kind of risk to our survival.”
Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the same agency behind the green card review, announced a review of all refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden.
On Wednesday, the US suspended processing of all immigration requests from Afghans, with Citizenship and Immigration Services saying the decision was taken pending a review of “security and vetting protocols”.
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