Faith Omoboye
FULL LIST: Trump orders Green Card review for 19 ‘countries of concern’ after D.C. attack
The Trump administration said on Thursday that it will carry out a full review of the immigration status of all Green Card holders from Afghanistan and 18 other countries, after an attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
U.S. officials have named the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as a 29-year-old Afghan national who once worked with American forces in Afghanistan. However, he was not a permanent resident. According to AfghanEvac, a group that supports Afghans resettled in the United States after the Taliban takeover in 2021, he had been granted asylum earlier this year.
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Joseph Edlow, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced the review on X, saying he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of every Green Card issued to people from “countries of concern.”
The move builds on a June executive order by Donald Trump, United States president, which labelled 19 countries as “Identified Concern” nations.
Twelve of those countries face a near-total travel ban, blocking almost all nationals from entering the U.S. They are:
Afghanistan
Myanmar
Chad
Congo-Brazzaville
Equatorial Guinea
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Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Yemen
Seven more countries face a partial ban, though some temporary work visas are still permitted:
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Burundi
Cuba
Laos
Sierra Leone
Togo
Turkmenistan
Venezuela
The administration says the reviews are aimed at tightening security, though rights groups warn the policy could lead to broad immigration crackdowns affecting thousands of people already living legally in the country.
Source: Businessday.ng | Read the Full Story…
