After the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C, on Wednesday, the U.S. has announced that it will review every Green Card holder from targeted countries for possible revocation of their status as lawful permanent residents in the United States.

Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, made this announcement on Thursday.

“At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” Mr Edlow said.

Mr Edlow explained that this move is in America’s interest for security and safety. 

“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non-negotiable,” stated the immigration boss.

The announcement was made shortly after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, “a criminal alien from Afghanistan”, was arrested for the shooting of the guardsmen on Wednesday.

Designated countries of concern include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.