The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced that it will re-examine the green cards of people entering the US from 19 countries, writes the BBC.
The head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said that the president had ordered him to conduct a very thorough, large-scale re-examination of green cards for all people who immigrated from certain countries. When asked by the BBC which countries would be affected by the re-examinations, the service pointed to a statement released by the White House in June, which also mentioned Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.
Information about the re-examination of migrants follows the fact that an Afghan citizen opened fire in the US capital, injuring two National Guard soldiers. The suspect came to the United States in 2021 through a special immigration program designed to protect Afghans as US forces withdrew from the Middle Eastern country.
Trump has said the shooting represents a significant risk to national security. Eldlow did not specifically mention the shooting in a social media post on the 27th of November, but said the security of the country and Americans was paramount, and the American people would not pay for the previous administration’s reckless relocation policies. No details have been provided on how the re-examinations will be conducted.
The US administration said
the main reasons for creating the list of suspicious countries were security concerns
and the fact that business, student and tourist visa holders were staying in the country longer than they were allowed. The statement on countries whose citizens are subject to re-examination also mentions Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Taliban militant group: “Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.”
The re-examinations will also affect citizens of Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo and Libya.
The attack on National Guard soldiers prompted a sharp reaction from Trump. He said that the previous administration had allowed 20 million unknown and unscreened foreigners into the country from around the world, “from places that you don’t even want to know about,” and that no country could afford to risk its existence that much.
The United States suspended the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan nationals on the 27th of November.
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