US President Donald Trump has directed the federal agency that oversees legal immigration to the United States to conduct a comprehensive review of green card holders from what the administration calls countries of concern, the head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services said Thursday evening.

Joseph Idlow, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said on the X platform (formerly Twitter): “At the direction of the President of the United States, I have directed a thorough and meticulous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern.”

Edlo stressed that protecting the country remains of paramount importance and that the American people will not bear the cost of the reckless resettlement policies pursued by the previous administration.

At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.

— USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow (@USCISJoe) November 27, 2025

When asked for details about the countries considered to be of concern, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services referred to a presidential proclamation issued last June, which listed 19 countries deemed deficient in vetting and screening procedures.

Afghanistan is one of the countries on the list, which also includes Haiti, Iran and Venezuela.

The 19 countries include:

The US immigration announcement comes a day after a shooting incident near the White House that left two National Guard members seriously injured.

Federal prosecutors said the suspect, an Afghan national who had previously assisted U.S. forces, was resettled in the United States under a program called Operation Allied Welcome during the Biden administration following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.