President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to review the statuses of green card holders from "every country of concern," as the federal government widens its contentious crackdown on illegal immigration and crime.

Joseph Edlow, the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced on Nov. 27 that he has ordered a "full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern," at the direction of the president. The order comes a day after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

The troops were part of a "high-visibility patrol" near the White House when the shooting occurred on Nov. 26, authorities said. One of the two West Virginia National Guard members injured in the attack died on Nov. 27, while the other remained in critical condition, Trump said.

Federal authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national from Washington state. Lakanwal, who was subdued after the attack and hospitalized, is being investigated as a possible terrorist suspect, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Following the shooting, the Trump administration ordered widespread reviews of immigration policies, including the immediate and indefinite suspension of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals. The USCIS will also conduct a review of all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration, as well as green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries that were considered "high-risk."

"The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies," Edlow wrote on X.

'High-risk' countries were in previous travel ban

In a new release, the USCIS said it has issued new guidance allowing for "negative, country-specific factors" to be considered in the vetting process of people who immigrated to the US from 19 "high-risk countries."

The 19 countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The new policy went into immediate effect and applies to immigration requests pending or filed on or after Nov. 27, according to the USCIS.

The guidance comes after the Trump administration "halted refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and the entry of Afghan nationals in its first year of office," according to the agency.

Afghanistan was one of the nations included in Trump’s travel ban in June, in which he blocked the entry of foreign nationals from 12 nations and partially restricted entry from seven other countries into the United States.

The president cited visa overstays and a lack of appropriate screening and vetting measures as the reason. Afghan nationals who entered the country on Special Immigrant Visas after helping the U.S. military or acting as a translator were among a handful of exceptions.

Authorities: Shooting suspect worked with US military in Afghanistan

The suspect worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and entered the country through Operation Allies Welcome in September 2021, according to authorities. Lakanwal reportedly was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April.

The Operation Allies Welcome program was designed to allow Afghans who assisted the U.S. military and their families who were potential targets of retribution by the Taliban to come to the country after the United States pulled out.

An organization that supports refugees fleeing Afghanistan has condemned the Trump administration for pausing immigration applications in the wake of the shooting.

Arash Azizzada, co-director of Afghans For A Better Tomorrow, a community-led advocacy group, said the U.S. must acknowledge that its "forever wars" are a major reason why so many Afghans seek safety here, and that blaming refugees for the consequences of a single action is unjust.

"President Trump is using this tragedy as a pretext to demonize, criminalize, and target an entire community," Azizzada said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Contributing: Sarah D. Wire and Phillip Bailey, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump orders green card review after National Guard DC shooting

Reporting by Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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