The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has placed a temporary pause on some Green Card applications to comply with two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. The move aims to do “more vetting” on individuals applying for legal permanent residency in the US.
Both executive orders, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” and “Designating Cartels And Other Organisations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” were signed by Trump on January 20.
The first order mandates stricter vetting of all foreign nationals entering or residing in the US. “Vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks,” Sec 2 (iv) of the order read.
“To ensure the total elimination of these organisations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States,” the other order stated.
It named transnational groups such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as posing an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.
Increased vetting for refugees and asylum seekers
USCIS is conducting additional background checks on refugees and individuals previously granted asylum who have now applied for Green Cards, as per a report by CBS News. These individuals can only apply for permanent residency after spending at least a year in the US.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it is “placing a temporary pause on finalising certain adjustment of status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting”, as per a report by NBC News.
It, however, remains unclear how long this suspension will last.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, at least 67,800 green card applications were filed by asylum seekers, with nearly 40,000 submitted by refugees, as per data quoted by Newsweek.
Before the temporary suspension, the average processing times for these applications were around 10 months for asylum seekers and 8 months for refugees. The temporary pause is expected to cause further delays.
This new round of vetting means that individuals who have already submitted extensive documentation as refugees or asylees will have to undergo the screening process again.
Tighter scrutiny under Trump administration
Laura Collins, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, told NBC News that under the first Trump administration, USCIS went through every application “with a fine-toothed comb”. Officials sometimes reject forms for minor omissions.
“So if you didn’t have a middle name … they would send your application back and say, ‘Well, you didn’t fill in your middle name portion,’” Collins explained as quoted by NBC News.
She added that authorities are likely revisiting applicants’ social media and other records, even if they have already been screened previously, ensuring a more exhaustive review process.
