The United States has launched an unprecedented review of all Green Card applications following a deadly shooting incident in Washington DC that claimed the life of a National Guard member. The Trump administration has mandated intense scrutiny of immigration petitions, particularly targeting individuals from 19 designated high-risk nations.
Deadly Attack Triggers Immigration Policy Overhaul
The policy shift comes after Wednesday's shooting of two National Guards in Washington DC, where one service member tragically succumbed to gunshot wounds. The alleged perpetrator, identified as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had originally moved to the US in 2021 and received extensions to his stay.
In response to this incident, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B Edlow announced on Thursday: "At the direction of the President of the United States, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern."
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Edlow added, "My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."
New Vetting Standards and Country-Specific Scrutiny
The USCIS has implemented immediate changes to immigration vetting procedures that will affect all pending and new applications filed on or after November 27, 2025. The updated policy authorizes immigration officers to consider country-specific factors as "significant negative factors" during application reviews.
Applications from citizens of 19 specified nations will face particularly intense examination. The designated countries include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The US had already suspended processing of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals immediately following the Washington DC attack.
Impact on Existing Green Card Holders and Future Applications
While President Donald Trump called for reassessment of all "aliens" in the US during his Thursday statement, the official USCIS policy is unlikely to affect existing Green Card holders. The new stringent measures primarily target pending and new applications.
President Trump declared: "We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country."
The USCIS statement criticized the previous administration, alleging that the Biden government had "dismantled basic vetting and screening standards over the last four years" and prioritized rapid resettlement of "aliens from high-risk countries" over American citizen safety.
Under the revised framework, all Green Card applicants will undergo comprehensive assessment examining their country of origin and stated purpose for being in the United States. This represents one of the most significant tightenings of US immigration policy in recent years.
