The U.S. government announced on Thursday, November 27, 2025, a comprehensive review of the immigration status of permanent residents from Afghanistan and other nations identified as security concerns, following Wednesday’s shooting that wounded National Guard personnel in Washington.
U.S. authorities have identified the detained suspect as an Afghan national who previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan. AfghanEvac, the organisation that assisted resettlement efforts after the 2021 Taliban takeover, said the 29-year-old was granted asylum in April of this year, not permanent residency.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said on X that he had ordered a wide-ranging reassessment of existing Green Cards. “I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” he wrote. A USCIS spokesperson told AFP that Edlow was referring to a June executive order by President Donald Trump that classifies 19 countries as being “of Identified Concern.”
The June order imposed sweeping travel restrictions and tightened vetting for nationals from a set of countries, including Afghanistan. It also included a series of partial restrictions affecting additional states. The administration has said the measures aim to strengthen security screening and vetting protocols.
Officials have not released details about how the reexamination will be conducted or how long it will take. Immigration advocates warned the move could affect many lawful residents and urged authorities to proceed with care to avoid undue disruption to families, employers and communities.
The announcement follows heightened political debate over immigration policy in the wake of the attack; the suspect was wounded during an exchange of gunfire with security personnel and remains hospitalised. U.S. agencies continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
