The White House has not yet published the official list of “countries of concern”, but the information indicates that Cubans will be affected by the new measure.
MIAMI, United States. – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will conduct a mass review of all permanent resident cards (green cards) issued to immigrants from so-called “countries of concern,” by direct order of President Donald Trump.
The advertisement The director of USCIS, Joseph B. Edlow, did so on the social network X, hours after a shooting in Washington in which two members of the National Guard were seriously injured near the White House.
In his message, Edlow stated: “At the direction of the president, I have ordered a rigorous and complete reevaluation of each green card for every foreigner from every country of concern.” In another post, also on X, he added: “The protection of this country and the American people remains a priority, and citizens should not pay the price for the irresponsible policies of the previous administration. “The security of the United States is not negotiable.”
Neither Edlow nor the White House have yet released the official list of “countries of concern.” However, the language coincides with that used by the Trump Administration itself to justify the immigration ban and travel restrictions that came into effect last June, which include total bans for 12 countries and reinforced restrictions for another seven, including Cuba and Venezuela.
Two days before this announcement, an internal memo signed by Edlow himself ordered a review of all cases of refugees admitted to the United States between January 20, 2021 and February 20, 2025, that is, during almost the entire term of Joe Biden.
According to that document, revealed by CBS News and other means, USCIS must re-examine and, if necessary, re-interview refugees from that period to determine whether they actually met the legal definition of a refugee and whether there are grounds to deny them permanent residence. The memorandum also imposed an indefinite suspension of all applications for green card presented by those people.
The text indicates that, if a “principal refugee” is considered ineligible, their case may be rejected along with that of their family members, with the possibility that they will lose refugee status and end up in deportation proceedings. There is no specific appeal mechanism for denial of the green card; The only way would be to litigate the case in immigration court, according to the memorandum itself cited by the press.
According to federal statistics consulted by CBS, around 233,000 refugees entered the United States in the period now under review, offering a first idea of the magnitude of the administrative process already underway.
The shooting in Washington
The tightening coincides with the attack this Wednesday in central Washington, when two members of the West Virginia National Guard were seriously injured near the Farragut West metro station, less than 500 meters from the White House.
The suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who arrived in the United States in 2021 under special evacuation programs following the withdrawal of US troops from his country, known as Operation Allies Refuge/Allies Welcome.
The case is being investigated by the FBI as a possible act of terrorism, and the Department of Justice is studying charges that could include the death penalty, according to international media.
Trump reacted immediately. On his social networks he described the aggressor as an “animal” and assured that “he will pay a very high price” for the attack, while highlighting that the Afghan entered the country during the Biden Administration. At the same time, the Government suspended the processing of new immigration cases of Afghans while the security and investigation protocols are reviewed, according to a USCIS statement obtained by CBS News.
How does Cuba get on the radar?
The “countries of concern” formula is not new. The Trump Administration has been using it in internal and public documents to refer to States whose authorities, in Washington’s opinion, do not offer sufficient guarantees in terms of security cooperation, exchange of information or control of documents.
On June 4, Trump signed a proclamation that reinstated and expanded the immigration ban to citizens of 12 countries — including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — and applied additional restrictions to seven others, including Cuba and Venezuela.
Although the veto did not cancel the green cards already issued, it did introduce a regime of reinforced surveillance on travelers and visa applicants from those nations. Now, Edlow’s new order focuses precisely on those who already have permanent residence, and does so using the same category of “countries of concern.”
Specialized media and immigration portals that have had access to drafts and internal memoranda of the Department of Homeland Security have been indicating that the Administration plans to tighten access to green cardsasylum and parole for nationals of the countries included in Trump’s immigration veto.
So far, USCIS has not published an official list of which countries will be subject to the new revision of green cards.
