US reviews certain green cards, asylum approvals

The United States government has commenced a review of green cards issued to immigrants from some countries, as well as asylum approvals, following Wednesday’s incident in Washington, D.C.

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard–Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom–were trailed and shot while they were on patrol near a metro station.

20-year-old Sarah has succumbed to her injuries despite efforts by medical personnel, while 24-year-old Andrew is still fighting for his life. President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrorist attack.”

On Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow announced he had directed “a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

A June presidential proclamation listed Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela as countries of concern.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is now critically evaluating all asylum cases approved under former President Joe Biden, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The Trump administration recently directed federal officials to conduct a thorough assessment of refugees admitted to the U.S between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025. The vetting would affect an estimated 200,000 people.

Wednesday’s shooting suspect, an Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden-era “Operation Allies Welcome.” He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted in April 2025.

The 29-year-old was among the thousands of Afghans transported to the United States after assisting American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators during the years-long battle with the Taliban.

Lakanwal worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Units in Kandahar. The units were supported by the CIA and served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers in the U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks.