US immigration agency orders full recheck of Green Card holders from ‘every country of concern’

USCIS ordered reexamination of Green Cards from ‘countries of concern’ after the DC guard attack, following Donald Trump’s proclamation on 19 nations
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced a thorough re-examination of certain Green Card holders after the DC National Guard attack (uscis/Instagram)
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced a thorough re-examination of certain Green Card holders after the DC National Guard attack (uscis/Instagram)

WASHINGTON, DC: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow posted on X on Thursday, November 27, to announce a “rigorous reexamination” of Green Card holders. 

Edlow wrote that, at the direction of the President of the United States, he had permitted a "full-scale, rigorous reexamination" of “every alien” belonging to a “country of concern.” 



Joseph Edlow says protection of Americans 'remains paramount'

In light of the recent attack in Washington, DC, the Trump administration had decided to analyze every Green Card holder, as informed by Joseph Edlow on X.

In a follow-up post, he stated that the protection of America and its people remained paramount.



He added that the American people should not have to bear the cost of the “prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”

“American safety is non negotiable,” he concluded.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - OCTOBER 26: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (not in frame) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (not in frame) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Countries on the Trump administration's restricted list

When asked which countries were considered of concern, the USCIS director referred X users to a proclamation made in June 2025, which listed 19 countries under the category, one of them being Afghanistan. 

According to the presidential proclamation made on June 4, 2025, 19 countries were included in Donald Trump’s list of concerned countries.

Entry of nationals from 12 of these countries was to be completely restricted. This included Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Moreover, Donald Trump had determined to “partially restrict and limit” the entry of nationals from seven other countries. This included Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. 

U.S. President Joe Biden walks out of the Oval Office to speak about the results of the 2024 election in the Rose Garden on November 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. Former President Donald Trump defeated Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden pledged to work with the Trump team to ensure a smooth transition and invited the former President for an Oval Office meeting. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden walks out of the Oval Office to speak about the results of the 2024 election in the Rose Garden on November 07, 2024, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump slams Joe Biden for letting in 'unvetted foreigners'

 After the assailant of the recent National Guard ambush was found to be an Afghan native, many prominent figures, including President Trump, criticized the previous administration’s willingness to let immigrants into America. 

Taking to his Truth Social account, Trump condemned the attack and the same day, addressed the nation from the White House and criticized “disastrous” former President Joe Biden, for letting in “20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners” from all over the world.



As his speech continued, Donald Trump noted that they must “re-examine every single alien” who had entered America under Biden and that they must take “any necessary measure” to remove “every alien” from any country that didn’t belong to America.

“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” he added.

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