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Trump Admin to Reexamine All Green Cards Issued to Afghans, Others From Countries of Concern
The announcement was made a day after two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded near the White House allegedly by an Afghan national.
Parents await interviews for their children at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) district office in New York City on Jan. 29, 2013. John Moore/Getty Images
Emel Akan
Reporter
11/27/2025|Updated: 11/28/2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Nov. 27 that all permanent resident cards, or green cards, issued to individuals from “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, will be reviewed.
“At the direction of @
potus, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” Joseph Edlow, director of USCIS, said on X.
The announcement was made a day after two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded near the White House. The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national.
“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable” Edlow wrote.
The countries of concern are listed in a June proclamation signed by President Donald Trump. They 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.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect in the D.C. shooting entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era resettlement program launched after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal had relationships with various U.S. government agencies, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News in an interview published Nov. 26.
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliff said.
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On Nov. 26, USCIS ended the processing of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the agency announced on X. “The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remain our singular focus and mission.”
The shooting occurred at about 2:15 p.m. ET on Nov. 26 near 17th and I Street NW, in downtown Washington. The two national guardsmen were performing “high visibility patrols” when a suspect came around the corner, raised a firearm, and fired at them, according to Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll.
The two wounded guardsmen, members of the West Virginia National Guard assigned to Joint Task Force-DC, remain in critical condition.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced after the shooting that 500 additional troops will be deployed in Washington. Hegseth praised the wounded military members for their bravery in the nation’s capital.
“They were willing to do dangerous things—others would not—because they love their fellow Americans,” Hegseth told reporters on Nov. 26.
“Someone decided to turn that into targeting National Guardsmen. That will only stiffen our resolve. We will never back down; we will secure our Capitol. We will secure our cities.”
Jacki Thrapp and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
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Link:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/tru...ner&src_cmp=gp
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