THE United States government has ordered a sweeping review of all Green Cards issued to immigrants from Afghanistan and 18 other “countries of concern” following Wednesday’s shooting of National Guard troops in Washington, officials announced on Thursday. Nigeria is not among the countries affected.
The review was triggered after US authorities identified the detained suspect in the attack as a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked alongside American forces in Afghanistan.
The man, who was arrested shortly after the shooting, was granted asylum rather than permanent residency in April 2024, according to AfghanEvac, a group coordinating the resettlement of Afghans following the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Joseph Edlow, Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said the government would re-examine all residency permits issued to immigrants from nations flagged under the new directive.
“I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” Edlow wrote on X.
When pressed to specify the countries affected, a USCIS spokesperson directed AFP to former President Donald Trump’s June executive order that categorised 19 nations as “of Identified Concern.”
The order imposed a full entry ban on nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, while restricting entry but not fully banning it for seven others. Green Cards previously issued to immigrants from these countries will now come under scrutiny.
Countries Facing Full Entry Ban Under Trump’s Order
Afghanistan
Myanmar
Chad
Congo-Brazzaville
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Yemen
Countries Facing Partial Entry Restrictions
Burundi
Cuba
Laos
Sierra Leone
Togo
Turkmenistan
Venezuela
The review is expected to involve cross-checking security backgrounds, revalidating immigration records, and assessing potential national-security risks.
The Biden administration has yet to publicly react to the order, but the move signals a major escalation in immigration scrutiny as Washington grapples with renewed political pressure following the latest security incident.