The Trump administration in the United States has suspended the processing of green card applications of some refugees and asylees as it continues to implement a hardline immigration agenda. The processing freeze would impact refugees already approved to come to the United States, as well as those who were granted asylum after petitioning for protection in immigration court.
The move is reportedly part of the White House’s efforts to more aggressively vet immigrants into the US, with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claiming the pause is necessary to carry out two executive actions on immigration signed by President Donald Trump. The orders aim at enhancing immigrant screening for potential fraud, public safety threats, and national security risks.
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“To better identify fraud, public safety or national security concerns, USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] is placing a temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting to identify potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns, in alignment,” DHS recently told CBS News.
US recently deported alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (Reuters)
So far, the Trump administration has not provided any timeline for when green card processing will restart, leaving thousands of migrants uncertain about their future in the United States.
What’s A Green Card?
A green card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), is a document that allows a person to live and work in the United States permanently. It is issued by the USCIS.
Who Will Be Impacted?
The freeze on Green Card processing by the Trump administration is aimed at those who seek refuge in the US, claiming persecution in their home countries.
The move will impact refugees who were granted entry into the US after an exhaustive process of security checks, medical screenings and interviews that normally takes years to complete. It will also impact asylees — foreigners in the US, who are granted protection by immigration judges or asylum officers.
Laura Collins, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative at the George W Bush Institute, told NBC News that refugees and asylees living in the US have already undergone a vetting process.
“There’s a certain amount of documentation you have to provide as a refugee as well as an asylee. All of these people who are approved for resettlement or to remain in the United States, that’s because the United States government have already approved them to be here,” said Collins.
While both groups are thoroughly vetted, DHS has said it would press pause on the permanent residence request for “additional screening.”
Earlier, Trump officials had claimed that the Biden era refugee program was plagued by fraud concerns and the migrants who entered the US during Joe Biden’s presidency were “loosely vetted”.
The move is likely to leave thousands of immigrants granted refuge in the US, including Indians, in limbo. After the vetting process, an asylee has to wait for at least a year before being eligible to apply for a Green Card, and thereby become a permanent resident of the US.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detain a man after conducting a raid in Denver (Reuters)
How Will The Move Impact Indian Migrants?
Indian nationals are one of the largest migrant communities in the United States, with a population of over 2.9 million as of 2023. The group already faces some of the longest green card backlogs due to per-country caps, and the processing freeze is expected to aggravate the wait time.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that Indian asylum seekers in the US have surged from 9,000 in 2018 to over 51,000 in 2023, a 466 per cent increase in just five years.
Trump administration has not provided any timeline for when green card processing will resume (Reuters)
Trump’s Crackdown On Immigration
The latest move is part of the Trump administration’s larger push to tighten immigration policies, including plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Since taking office for the second term, President Trump has restricted, tightened and, in some cases, suspended legal immigration procedures based on concerns about national security and fraud.
Recently, at least five foreign students and academics, who participated in protests in support of Palestine at US universities, were targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the US, as part of the government’s ongoing crackdown on Palestinian support.
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of the media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University (Reuters)
Among them were Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, arrested under accusations of supporting Hamas, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist at Columbia University, Yunseo Chung, another Columbia University student who attended a sit-in to protest the expulsion of several students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, and Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown scholar accused of spreading Hamas propaganda.
The US government has also taken action against several other activists, including Columbia University student Ranjani Srinivasan, who self-deported to Canada, and Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri, who faced deportation over alleged ties to Hamas. A judge has since blocked Suri’s deportation.
The Trump administration has also shut down asylum programs at the US-Mexico border and introduced executive orders tightening immigration policies, some of which are now being challenged in court.
Meanwhile, US immigration officials are also planning to more heavily scrutinize and review the social media accounts of immigrants applying for legal status, including US citizenship, green cards and asylum. In the March 5 notice, USICE said social media vetting of asylum seekers, green card and citizenship applicants — and not just those applying to enter the country– is required for “the enhanced identity verification, vetting and national security screening.”
Trump’s Executive Orders
According to DHS, the move by USCIS was made in alignment with one presidential executive order and one presidential action, both regarding foreign terrorism.
In the presidential proclamations cited by officials, President Trump had asked federal agencies to “vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States.”
Meanwhile, the executive order cited by officials paved the way for the DHS to designate Mexican cartels and gangs like Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations.