The US Department of Homeland Security has started a new effort to recheck thousands of people who already hold green cards in the United States. According to internal data obtained by The New York Times, the government is now trying to deport at least 50 lawful permanent residents after reviewing their cases again.
The numbers are still small compared to the total number of cases reviewed so far. As of May 7, around 2,890 green card cases had either been checked or were still being examined. Out of those, about 80 percent were marked as needing “no further action.” More than 500 people, however, were still under review.
What the new DHS unit is doing
The new effort is being handled by a division inside US Citizenship and Immigration Services, better known as USCIS. The division is called the “Tactical Operations Division.”
According to documents reviewed by the New York Times, the division includes teams focused on “LPR Operations,” “Denaturalisation,” and “Refugee Revetting.” LPR stands for lawful permanent resident, the formal term for green card holders.
According to the NYT, in one internal email, division director Daniel Andrade reportedly described the green card screening effort as an “LPR removal apparatus.” Around 40 immigration officers are said to be working on these reviews.
Officials are reportedly going through criminal records and old immigration applications to look for signs of fraud or anything that could make someone eligible for deportation.
A person familiar with the matter told the newspaper that tens of thousands more green card holders across the country have already been identified for possible review.
DHS says some cases involve crimes and fraud
Zach Kahler, a spokesman for USCIS, defended the effort and said the agency was changing internally “to better protect American citizens and support our mission priorities.”
Speaking to the New York Times, Kahler said, “USCIS’s first and foremost mission is to safeguard America by rigorously vetting and screening aliens.” He added, “We will continue to implement changes as we identify opportunities to strengthen the US immigration system.”
Kahler said the people being reviewed included individuals arrested or convicted for crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence, drunk driving and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also claimed that some people under review had admitted ties to groups suspected of illegally obtaining sensitive technology and information for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He also claimed that some people under review had admitted ties to groups suspected of illegally obtaining sensitive technology and information for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to him, others were accused of lying while applying for permanent residency.
Still, the fact that only a small percentage of the reviewed cases were found to be potentially deportable has raised questions about how broad the operation really is.
Critics say resources could be better used
Some former immigration officials believe the agency may be spending too much time rechecking people who already passed the system instead of handling the massive immigration backlog.
Sarah Pierce, who previously worked at USCIS, questioned whether the operation makes sense given the agency’s workload.
“There have been a lot of questions about whether or not this is a responsible use of USCIS’s resources, especially when you consider how backlogged the agency is,” she said. “I think the numbers only continue to raise those questions.”
USCIS had more than 11 million pending immigration applications at the end of September, according to the agency’s latest data. The backlog has roughly doubled since the end of 2019.
Can green card holders really be deported?
Yes. Green card holders can lose their status for certain reasons, including serious criminal convictions or fraud during the immigration process.
Someone convicted of crimes like murder or drug trafficking can face deportation. In some cases, even smaller offences can create immigration problems. However, certain misdemeanours usually do not lead to deportation, such as a first-time DUI that did not cause injuries.
Even then, deportation is not automatic. Green card holders generally get the chance to appear before an immigration judge, who decides whether they can remain in the country.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s wider immigration crackdown, which is now stretching beyond undocumented immigrants to include people who already have legal status in the country. In recent months, officials have also tried to revisit the status of refugees and even naturalized US citizens, creating fear among many longtime immigrants who believed their legal standing was secure.
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