WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s administration seems to be on a rampage when it comes to immigration as the latest measure has dashed the hopes of thousands of immigrants.
The administration has now announced that it is pausing processing of green-card to do more vetting of the applicants in line with an executive order signed by the president.
President Donald Trump signed the order in January named “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which called for agencies to vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States. It also placed special emphasis on applicants coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.
The Department of Homeland Security has now confirmed that it has suspended processing applications for green cards to do more vetting of the applicants.
It is still not sure whether the processing has been suspended for all applicants or is there a special category to face the suspension; the timeline for ending the suspension has also not been revealed.
Interestingly, there is a vetting mechanism already in place for applicants of Green Card and the latest order means additional vetting of the vetted applicants.
Trump took similar ‘anti-immigration’ measures in his first term as president and even imposed a travel ban on Muslim countries citing security risks; however, the current vetting seems to be more intense and harsh.
During the ongoing stint, even the Green Card holders fear deportation at the hands of the administration. As a case in point, a Columbia University student Yunseo Chung is on verge of deportation though a judge has blocked his arrest and deportation as of now. Similarly, Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student was also arrested by the authorities for arranging pro-Palestine protests and the government is trying to deport him.
