Lawmakers and immigration advocates in the United States criticised the Donald Trump-led administration's new policy requiring green card seekers to make applications from their home country.
The Democratic lawmakers vowed to fight against the policy, which they described as “reprehensible”, and said they would pursue every avenue to push the reversal of the decision made by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), PTI news agency reported.
Congresswoman Grace Meng, who is also the chairperson of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said the new rule was “reckless”, adding that it displayed “stunning disregard for the human cost it will impose on hundreds of thousands of people each year.” “We will pursue every avenue to fight against this reprehensible decision and push for its reversal,” Meng stated.
Meanwhile, Congressman Dan Goldman from New York questioned the change in status quo, which had been the rule for the past 70 years. “For over 70 years, adjusting your status to a Green Card from within the US has been the standard pathway to achieve permanent legal status,” Goldman said, according to PTI. He alleged that the Trump administration had brought in changes “solely to inflict damage on our immigrants and mixed families by forcing people to wait often years in their home country.”
Goldman said the move “solely targets legal immigrants”, adding that it was “as stupid as it is cruel.” “We won't let this happen,” he said. Meanwhile, Congressman Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona, said Trump had made legal immigration “harder.” In a post on X, Stanton claimed it had been done “on purpose”, saying that “forcing” immigrants to leave US without applying for citizenship would “deprive” America of their “innovation” and “tax dollars.”
What is the new green card policy? Why has it been introduced?
The major shift in immigration policy was unveiled Friday through a memo issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Under the new policy, immigrants seeking permanent residency will, in most cases, now be expected to return to their home countries and complete the visa process at a US consulate abroad.
At present, many immigrants who are already in the US legally, including students, tourists, temporary workers and spouses of US citizens, can apply for permanent residency through a process known as “adjustment of status.” This allows them to obtain a green card without leaving the country. However, under the new USCIS rule, officials have been directed to treat this “adjustment” as an “extraordinary” measure instead of it being the norm.