 "US orders green card review for 19 nations after DC National Guard attack")
The Trump administration has ordered an immediate re-examination of all green cards issued to immigrants from what it calls “countries of concern”. The decision follows the shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, DC, by an Afghan national.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said President Donald Trump has "directed a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern".
In a post on X, Edlow said, "The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount."
He added that Americans “will not bear the cost of the prior administration's reckless resettlement policies.”
The directive applies to all pending applications and those filed on or after November 27, 2025.
Which are these 19 high-risk countries?
USCIS said the move follows the shooting of two Guard members by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Under the updated guidance, the agency can now consider “negative, country-specific factors” when assessing applications from 19 nations. These include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen.
The same countries were listed in Trump’s June proclamation that restricted the entry of immigrants and non-immigrants on national security grounds.
Attack leaves two service members critically injured
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom (200) and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe (24) were shot near the White House on Wednesday (local time). Trump announced on Thanksgiving that Beckstrom had died of her injuries, while Wolfe remains critical.
Authorities say Lakanwal, 29, entered the US under 'Operation Allies Welcome', a Biden-era programme for Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover in 2021.
USCIS said the updated guidance follows Trump’s earlier move in his second term to halt Afghan refugee resettlement and block Afghan nationals from entering the country.
Trump calls shooting a 'terror attack'
Trump has described the shooting as "terrorism". Responding to reports that Lakanwal had previously worked with the CIA, Trump said the suspect “went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts".
Holding up photos of Afghans being evacuated in 2021, he claimed the US accepted people who were “unvetted”, adding, “We’re going to get them out, but they go cuckoo.”
Meanwhile, federal authorities have opened a wide terrorism investigation into what US attorney Jeanine Pirro called a “brazen and targeted” attack. Police examined the shooting scene and searched homes in Washington state and California.
Lakanwal lived in Washington state with his wife and five children. Officials say he drove nearly 3,000 miles to Washington, DC, planning the attack.
Investigators say Lakanwal served in an elite Afghan counterterrorism unit supported by the CIA. AfghanEvac, a nonprofit assisting Afghan allies, confirmed he arrived under humanitarian parole in 2021 and received asylum earlier this year, Bloomberg reported.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal was brought to the US because of his work with US intelligence.
However, the administration now suggests Afghan allies’ immigration status could be revoked or blocked.
Afghan groups push back against collective blame
While Trump officials say the attack shows vetting failures, AfghanEvac stressed that Afghan allies undergo some of the strictest security checks.
“Afghan immigrants and wartime allies who resettle in the United States undergo some of the most extensive security vetting of any population entering the country,” said AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver. The group warned against using the attack “as a political ploy".
(With agency inputs)