The Trump administration has announced a comprehensive review of all permanent residents from Afghanistan and 18 other countries. This decision follows Wednesday’s attack on National Guard troops in Washington, DC.
Joseph Edlow, Director of US Customs and Immigration Services, stated he has directed a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” The policy targets nations previously classified as “of Identified Concern” in a June executive order.
The review will affect permanent residents from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, where the detained suspect in the recent attack originates.
At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.
— USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow (@USCISJoe) November 27, 2025US officials identified the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as a 29-year-old Afghan national. According to the resettlement group AfghanEvac, the individual received asylum in April of this year, not permanent residency.
The suspect previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan before the 2021 Taliban takeover.
Read: National Guard Members Shot Near White House
The review affects countries listed in President Trump’s June executive order, which imposed travel bans on nationals from 12 nations. These include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Seven additional countries face partial travel restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The new Green Card review will apply to all 19 designated nations.
