The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday that foreigners seeking to adjust their immigration status in the United States to obtain green cards will now have to do so from outside the country via the State Department. This move has been criticized by aid groups, policy analysts, and immigration attorneys.
The change, outlined in a policy memo, instructs officers to consider relevant factors on a case-by-case basis when determining whether extraordinary relief is warranted. The green card process had remained unchanged for more than 60 years, marking the latest significant action by the Trump administration on immigration policy.
"An alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply," said the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees USCIS. "This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes."
According to an analyst at the Cato Institute, over 1 million immigrants in the US are currently waiting for their green cards. People apply for green cards in two ways: through a US consulate abroad or via an "adjustment of status" while already in the US. With the new policy, many applicants in the US will likely be required to leave while their cases are processed, particularly affecting mixed-status families by forcing them to leave jobs, homes, and relationships for an unknown period.
HIAS, an aid group serving refugees and other immigrants, stated that USCIS is forcing survivors of trafficking and abused or neglected children to return to the dangerous countries they fled in order to process their green card applications for permanent residency in the US.
Friday's policy change is the latest in a series of steps by Donald Trump over the past year to tighten immigration. Last year, the Trump administration moved to shorten visa durations for students, cultural exchange visitors, and media members. In January, the State Department announced it had revoked over 100,000 visas in the second Trump administration. The administration has also targeted other immigrants with legal status, such as refugees and protected immigrants.
