President Donald Trump has ordered a comprehensive review of green cards issued to immigrants from multiple “countries of concern” following a shooting that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured near the White House. The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national, is being investigated for potential terrorist motives.
The directive instructs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reexamine green cards and asylum approvals issued under previous administrations, including cases from 19 countries categorized as high-risk. Immigration requests involving Afghan nationals have been suspended indefinitely. Authorities say the suspect entered the U.S. through a post-withdrawal resettlement program designed to assist Afghans who worked with the U.S. military.
The administration argues the measures are necessary to strengthen national security and prevent failures in vetting procedures. Critics, however, say the response unfairly targets refugees and could fuel discrimination. Advocacy groups warn that using a single incident to justify broad immigration restrictions risks stigmatizing entire communities.
The policy changes took effect immediately and will apply to all pending and future immigration requests from the listed high-risk nations.