The Trump administration has declared it will reassess green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the US from 19 specific countries following the November 26 incident involving two National Guard members.
Joseph Edlow, head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), disclosed in a social media announcement that Donald Trump instructed him to perform ‘a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern’.
This announcement by the USCIS occurred shortly after Rahmanullah Lakanwal was detained as a suspect in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and the serious injury of 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe near the White House.
“At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” Edlow stated on X.
The agency will refer to a June proclamation by the White House in determining which countries will be scrutinized in light of the incident. This proclamation lists several countries of interest, as reported by the outlet.
The proclamation outlined that the ‘restrictions and limitations imposed’ on these countries are intended to ‘garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives’.
The administration stated that after evaluating ‘the foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives of the United States,’ it will impose full restrictions on entry from ‘Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen’.
“These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants,” the proclamation noted.
Additionally, the President disclosed that he had opted to ‘partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals’ from Cuba, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
According to reports, Lakanwal, of Afghan descent, arrived in the US in 2021 under a program offering special immigration protection to Afghans following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Federal prosecutors revealed, as per the BBC, that the suspect formerly aided the CIA and resettled in the US under the Operation Allies Welcome program.
Edlow’s announcement did not reference the attack as a reason for the nation restrictions.
Trump reacted promptly to the news of the shooting, characterized it as the ‘greatest national security threat facing our nation’.
Recently, the agency also declared a review of all refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden.
The White House has been contacted for comment.