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Green card security review
President Trump ordered a comprehensive review of green cards issued to nationals of 19 countries after a shooting in Washington, D.C., that authorities say involved an Afghan suspect.
“USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said, at the president’s direction, there will be a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card for aliens from 19 “countries of concern.””
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said he was carrying out a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every green card for people from the named countries.
The administration has paused or suspended processing of Afghan-related immigration requests while vetting protocols are reviewed.
Several outlets framed the action as an immediate national-security response tied to the attack and to a June presidential proclamation restricting arrivals from the same list of countries.
US immigration review changes
Reports identify a specific list of 19 'countries of concern' that the review targets, and some outlets publish the full list while linking the action to a June presidential proclamation that already restricted travel from many of the same states.
TheCable and Sky News published the enumerated countries and noted that USCIS will now weigh negative, country-specific factors such as whether a state can issue secure identity documents.
Several outlets also reported that immigration requests for Afghan nationals have been paused or suspended indefinitely while officials reassess vetting processes.
Coverage linking attacker and policy
Coverage repeatedly ties the policy change to the alleged attacker, identified in most reports as 29‑year‑old Afghan Rahmanullah Lakanwal (spelled variously across outlets), who reportedly entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome after working with U.S.-backed units in Afghanistan.
“The suspected shooter, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in 2021 under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome and had served in a CIA-backed counterterrorism unit; prosecutors will seek the death penalty.”
Several outlets note prosecutors may seek the death penalty and that federal watchdogs had already flagged vetting and data gaps in the 2021 Afghan evacuation, which supporters of the administration say justifies a reexamination of past approvals.
Debate over immigration review
Political and legal pushback is already reported: News Ghana says the move has prompted multiple lawsuits and accusations of authoritarian overreach.
Gulf News and civil‑liberties-minded coverage warn that using a single violent incident to justify sweeping immigration changes risks stigmatizing entire communities.
The administration and its supporters argue the expanded review is necessary for national security.
Critics counter that long-term data show refugee-perpetrated terrorist attacks in the U.S. are extremely rare, creating a contested factual and normative terrain.
Unclear implementation and reporting
Major uncertainties remain about the review's implementation, scope, and legal effect.
“President Trump announced plans to suspend immigration from “all Third World countries” and to strip benefits or citizenship from migrants he deems a burden or security risk...”
Some outlets say the review references a June proclamation and pre-existing restrictions, while others highlight the president's broader rhetoric—such as 'permanently pause migration' and suspending immigration from 'all Third World countries'—making it unclear whether the administration will go beyond reexamining already identified groups.
Reporting also shows inconsistent spellings and details about the suspect's name and history across sources, underscoring ambiguous or evolving facts that journalists attribute to official statements and ongoing investigations.