US President Donald Trump has ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to re-examine all Green Cards issued to permanent residents from 19 countries labelled as “countries of concern,” following a shooting near the White House in which an Afghan national attacked two National Guard members. The US government termed the incident an act of terror and sharply intensified scrutiny of immigrants from high-risk nations.
Under the new guidance, USCIS officers are now permitted to treat a person’s country of origin as a major adverse factor when deciding whether to continue granting, renewing, or modifying immigration benefits. This applies not only to future applicants but also to current Green Card holders whose applications were approved in earlier administrations.
The 19 affected countries listed for review include Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These nations mirror those named in a June presidential directive that imposed full or partial entry suspensions.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the policy aims to strengthen security vetting and ensure that applicants from high-risk regions undergo maximum screening, stressing that “American lives come first.”
Experts clarify that India is not on the list, and the measure will not affect Indian nationals or Indian Green Card holders. However, analysts caution that the move signals a broader expansion of immigration restrictions, suggesting that future tightening cannot be ruled out.
Trump’s directive follows the identification of 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal as the shooter. Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a programme launched after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to resettle evacuated Afghan nationals, many of whom had worked alongside US forces. The incident has reignited a strong political debate on refugee screening, immigration policy, and national security.
In summary, the Green Card review targets only residents from the 19 named high-risk countries, and Indians are not included under the current order.
