The Donald Trump administration has launched a sweeping review of all U.S. permanent residents originating from Afghanistan and 18 other countries designated as high-risk, following the shooting of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
The move comes after U.S. officials identified the suspect in Wednesday’s attack as a 29-year-old Afghan who once worked with American forces in Afghanistan.
Contrary to early speculation, the individual was granted asylum earlier this year, not a Green Card, according to AfghanEvac, a group supporting Afghans resettled after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced the new directive on X, stating he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
The review builds on a June executive order from President Trump classifying 19 nations as “countries of Identified Concern.”
The order also imposed a near-total entry ban on citizens of 12 of those countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
A partial travel ban remains in place for seven others—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, though some temporary employment visas are still permitted.
Officials say the Green Card review will begin immediately, with further security measures expected in the coming weeks.
