The United States government has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the immigration status of all permanent residents, or “Green Card” holders, from 19 designated countries.
This decision comes as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified measures on immigration, following the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Notably, Nigeria has been excluded from this review.
Joe Edlow, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), confirmed on X that, “At the direction of @POTUS, I have ordered a thorough reexamination of every Green Card issued to individuals from all countries of concern.”
The 19 countries under review include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
USCIS stated that the review will consider “negative, country-specific factors,” such as a nation’s ability to provide secure identity documents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also announced the immediate suspension of all immigration applications from Afghan nationals pending a security and vetting review. In addition, the administration is reassessing asylum approvals granted under former President Joe Biden.
Lakanwal, who arrived in the US in 2021 under a special immigration program for Afghans following the US troop withdrawal, had previously collaborated with the CIA in Afghanistan.
Although Nigeria was recently labeled a “Country of Particular Concern” by the Trump administration, its Green Card holders are not affected by this latest directive. The exemption reassures Nigerians that their permanent residency remains secure without additional scrutiny.
