US to Review Green Cards from 19 Countries Following Washington Shooting

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it will review the immigration status of every permanent resident, or “Green Card” holder, from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following Wednesday’s attack on National Guard troops in Washington.

US officials identified the suspect in the shooting as an Afghan national who had previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old was granted asylum, not permanent residency, in April this year, according to AfghanEvac, an organization assisting Afghans resettled in the US after the 2021 Taliban takeover.

“I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” said Joseph Edlow, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X.

When asked which countries were involved, a USCIS spokesperson referred AFP to President Donald Trump’s June executive order that identified 19 “countries of concern.” The order restricted entry for nearly all nationals from 12 of these countries, including Afghanistan.

The other nations facing travel restrictions include Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Trump also imposed partial bans on travelers from seven additional countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—allowing some temporary work visas.

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