The United States government has launched a comprehensive review of all Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries after authorities linked the November 26 attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to a 29-year-old Afghan national who had been granted asylum in April 2025.
Announcing the decision, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said President Trump ordered a “rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” stressing that protecting Americans was “paramount” and that the country would “not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”
Under the directive, USCIS may apply “negative, country-specific factors” in adjudicating applications from nationals of the affected countries, including ten in Africa, with the rules covering all pending cases and any filed on or after November 27, 2025, allowing officials to delay, demand further evidence, or deny applications outright.
Analysts warn the move could worsen visa backlogs and disproportionately impact African applicants already facing strict immigration barriers, particularly from nations such as Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan.
African affected by the U.S. green card review
- Burundi
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Libya
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Togo