The aftermath of a deadly shooting near the White House has sent a wave of anxiety for Green Card holders across the United States, U.S, as the administration of President Donald Trump has begun scrutinizing migrants from 19 countries.
It was gathered that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been tasked with scrutinizing migrants from the 19 countries.
This intensified scrutiny is specifically targeting foreign nationals from a list of 19 “countries of concern,” immediately throwing the lives and legal standing of thousands of lawful permanent residents into sudden uncertainty.
The development follows the death of a National Guard soldier in the “ambush-style” attack, in which officials identified the suspect as an Afghan national.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow announced a directive for a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
“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,” Joe Edlow, the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, wrote in a post on X Thursday.
The 19 countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
USCIS said in a statement later Thursday that when vetting immigrants from those 19 countries, the agency will now take into consideration “negative, country-specific factors,” which include whether the country can issue secure identity documents.”
The U.S scrutinizing of migrants from 19 countries comes as security agencies identified an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwa as the suspected shooter in the ambush attack that killed one National Guard member and wounded another just blocks away from the White House on Wednesday.
The CIA on Thursday revealed that Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro also said Thursday that the suspect will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and he will also be charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges could still change pending the condition of the Guard members.
Since officials last night identified the suspect of the shooting as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, the Trump administration has ramped up its efforts to restrict immigration.
Trump, while addressing the press on Thursday, pointed fingers at the administration of his predecessor, former U.S President Joe Biden.
Trump said that it was Biden’s administration that allegedly brought the alleged shooter to the U. S and argued the attack “underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.”
Trump said in the remarks, “We must now reexamine every single alien who’s 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.”
Also, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, stated on Thursday that the administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the previous administration, including those of former President Joe Biden.
The statement reads: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
“The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration.”
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Afghan Communities in the United States, in a press statement issued on Thursday, has condemned the shooting.
The group also expressed its concerns over the impact of Lakanwal’s actions on the immigration process for other Afghan nationals.
“A single individual’s crime must not jeopardize or obstruct the legal cases of thousands of deserving Afghans who meet all U.S. legal requirements,” the alliance said in a statement, which called for federal agencies to process Afghan immigrants as usual, without delays or suspensions.
