US green card revocation rules: What happens and who can be targeted

As the US targets Iranian elites, here's what the law says about revoking green cards, rights of holders, and grounds for cancellation

After the US State Department revoked the green cards of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter Sarinasadat Hosseiny, the niece and grandniece of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, the administration is now turning its attention to other elite Iranians living in the United States.

 

Katie Miller, podcaster and wife of Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, said in an appearance on Fox News that she was aware that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were working to revoke the visas of nearly 3,000 to 4,000 Iranian elites currently in the US.

   

Miller also questioned why members of Iran’s elite had been able to settle not only in the US but also in Europe. “The double standard, not only in their wardrobe, but the fact they get to live here in the greatest country in the world, with safety and prosperity, you could not make it up,” Miller said.

 

What are the rules for revoking a US green card?

 

In May 2025, the US Department of Justice told a federal court that the Attorney General has the authority to revoke lawful permanent resident (LPR) status — commonly known as a green card — at any time, even years or decades after it has been issued.

 

So, what are the grounds for green card revocation?

 

According to immigration attorneys and court filings, a green card can be revoked for:

 

• Misrepresentation or fraud during the application process, even if unintentional

• Criminal activity, especially if it was not disclosed

• Alleged ties to certain organisations

• Security concerns or immigration violations

 

The key shift is not in the grounds themselves, but in the interpretation that there is no time limit for such reviews or revocations.

 

“Generally, green card holders have the same First Amendment rights as US citizens. Constitutionally protected speech, including peaceful protest, would not normally be grounds for cancelling a green card. Green cards are typically revoked for serious crimes or other obvious violations,” said Russell A Stamets, partner at Circle of Counsels, in comments to Business Standard.

 

“While they have strong legal protections, such as the right to a hearing before an immigration judge and the ability to appeal deportation orders, they can still be removed for reasons like aggravated felonies, fraud, national security threats, or abandoning their residency by staying outside the US for too long,” said Aurelia Menezes, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys, speaking to Business Standard.

 

What has USCIS said about green card holders?

 

Since 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has repeatedly said that permanent residency is a “privilege” that can be revoked if immigrants fail to follow American laws and values.

 

“Green cards and visas are a privilege reserved for those who make the US better, not those who seek to destroy it from the inside,” USCIS said in multiple social media posts.

 

“Having a visa or green card is a privilege that can be taken away. Our rigorous security vetting does not end once you've been granted access to the US. If you come to our country and break the law, there will be consequences, and you will lose your privileges.”

 

The agency added that anyone advocating violence, supporting terrorist activities, or encouraging others to do so would no longer be eligible to remain in the country.

 

What rights and responsibilities do green card holders have?

 

According to USCIS, green card holders have the right to:

 

• Live permanently in the US, provided they do not commit deportable offences

• Work in any legal job they qualify for, except roles restricted to US citizens for security reasons

• Be protected by US laws, including state and local regulations

 

They are also subject to certain responsibilities:

 

• Obey all US and local laws

• File income tax returns and report income to the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities

• Support the democratic form of government, without voting in elections

• Register with the Selective Service if they are male and between 18 and 25 years old

 

What is driving scrutiny of Iranian green card holders?

 

The move comes amid wider scrutiny of Iranian nationals with links to the regime. After tensions escalated, Dr Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, whose late father was a senior official in Tehran, was removed from her position as an assistant professor at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta following backlash.

 

The most high-profile case remains the arrests of Afshar and her daughter, which brought attention to the lifestyle they were leading in Los Angeles.

 

“While living in the United States, she (Afshar) promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the ‘Great Satan,’ and voiced her unflinching support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization. Afshar Soleimani pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles,” the US State Department said.

 

Afshar entered the US on a tourist visa in 2015 and was later granted asylum by an immigration judge in 2019. She became a lawful permanent resident in 2021. However, in a 2025 naturalisation application, officials said she disclosed multiple trips back to Iran after receiving her green card, which has now become a ground for disqualification.

 

Her daughter entered the US in July 2015 on a student visa, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2023.