Trump administration tells green card applicants to apply from abroad​

Surprise change to longstanding policy could impact hundreds of thousands of people​

Foreigners in the U.S. who want a green card will need to leave and apply in their home country, the Trump administration announced Friday, in a surprise change to a longstanding policy that sowed confusion and concern among aid groups, immigration lawyers and immigrants.
For over half a century, foreign nationals with legal status have been able to apply for and complete the entire process for permanent residence in the United States, including people married to U.S. citizens, holders of work and student visas, and refugees and political asylum seekers, among others.
The announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said foreigners who are in the U.S. temporarily and who want to apply to become lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, must return home and apply there, except in "extraordinary circumstances." USCIS officers would decide whether applicants meet that threshold.
"Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process," the agency said in a statement.
It is the latest step by the Trump administration to make legal immigration more difficult for foreigners already in the U.S. and for those hoping to go there.
"The goal of this policy is very explicit. Senior officials in this administration have said over and over that they want fewer people to get permanent residency because permanent residency is a path to citizenship and they want to block that path for as many people as possible," said Doug Rand, a former senior advisor at USCIS during the Biden administration.
He added that about 600,000 people already in the U.S. apply each year for a green card. USCIS did not say when the change would come into effect, whether individuals would be required to remain in another country throughout the entire process or whether the policy affects foreigners whose green card applications are already underway.
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, the agency said people who provide an "economic benefit" or "national interest" could likely stay in the U.S., while others would have to go abroad to apply. The changes come on top of steps the administration has already taken to restrict and limit entry for people from dozens of countries. In some cases, there are outright bans on travel from those countries, while people from others face pauses in visa processing. Experts and attorneys warned that forcing people from those countries to return home to apply for a green card would result in them being barred from coming back.
"If families are told that the non-citizen family member must return to his or her country of origin to process their immigrant visa, but immigrant visas are not being processed there, it's a Catch-22. These policies will effectively create an indefinite separation of families," wrote World Relief, a humanitarian and refugee resettlement organization.

Confusion over who the change applies to​

USCIS described the change as a return to "the original intent of the law" and as closing a "loophole."
But immigration lawyers and aid groups pushed back, saying it was longstanding practice for many groups to adjust their status in the U.S. and that many people couldn't return home because it wasn't safe or they had no embassy to apply at. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, for example, has been closed since the U.S. pullout in August 2021.
"USCIS is trying to upend decades of processing of adjustment of status," said Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "This all applies very broadly to anyone seeking a green card."
Among them could be individuals married to U.S. citizens, immigrants with humanitarian protection who are applying for a green card, and holders of work visas — including doctors and professionals — as well as student and religious visa holders, Dalal-Dheini said. At some U.S. consulates abroad, wait times for a visa appointment could take up to more than a year, she said. Immigration attorneys were reviewing the policy memo and announcement Friday afternoon, trying to decipher who it would apply to.
Organizations that provide legal and other assistance to immigrants said they were hearing from clients concerned about what the new guidance would mean for them.
"It's really hard to tell how this is going to be applied," said Jessie De Haven, senior staff attorney with the California Immigration Project a non-profit that provides legal services to low-income immigrants. "I do think it might have a chilling effect on people applying."
 
Donald Trump is back to posting menacing Truth Social posts intended to strike fear in the hearts of the fine and peaceable people of Greenland, who don't deserve this. This is sadistic behavior that is not in the least bit funny, and it is way past time that European leaders tell Donald Trump in no uncertain terms to knock off this crap for once and for all. If it isn't apparent to European leaders by now that the NATO alliance is dead and worthless, then they must be either stupid or cowards, most likely the latter. How can they tolerate Trump's threats to invade the sovereign territory of a European NATO nation? It is time for Europe to dissolve NATO and to tell Trump to get all American forces out of Europe. Without its bases in Europe ("lily pads"), the United States would not be able to project its endless terrorism activities in the Middle East, which includes supplying Israel with bombs to drop on civilian populations.

After Trump's massive miscalculation and failure in Iran, he is desperate for wins and is looking for weak countries to pick on after Iran punched him in the face. I feel sorry for the people of Greenland and even more so for the people of Cuba, who Trump is sadistically filling with dread with the prospect of an impending invasion that could come as early as this weekend. I also worry about our own country. Compared to Iran, Trump probably sees Canada as a pushover and a much bigger prize - probably the biggest prize in Trump's mind. Trump wasn’t joking when he started talking about making Canada the 51st state. I fear that our “leaders” took this talk as “Trump being Trump” and are not facing up to the real growing threats that we are facing. Existential threats IMO!
 
afransen said:
From the sounds of it, she might be a Russian asset/useful idiot.
Click to expand...
What makes you think that Tulsi might be a “Russian asset / useful idiot”? Is it because of her longstanding opposition to any war with Iran? Everything that Tulsi predicted if the US attacked Iran turned out to be true, even worse, although you didn’t have to be an expert to predict that Iran would paralyze a very important node of the World economy by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Tulsi served in Iraq and is to this day an Army Captain, so she has seen the ugly side of war firsthand.

Is it because when Tulsi visited Syria as a democrat congresswoman, she revealed the uncomfortable truth that the ISIS and Al Qaeda jihadists trying to topple Assad were supported by the US and its allies including its number one "ally" in the region? Turns out Tulsi was right because today Syria is ruled by a former ISIS deputy and founder of Al Qaeda in Syria (Al Nusra). Syrian leader President Hussein al-Sharaa, AKA “al Jolani,” is a literal “head chopper”. There are pictures of him on the internet holding up two severed heads - one in each hand. Trump warmly welcomed al-Sharaa to the White House, where he sprayed him with his Trump brand of men's cologne, a couple of bottles of which Trump gifted (you can’t make this stuff up - see picture below).

What Tulsi Gabbard has been is a huge disappointment. She should have resigned in protest months ago, just as Joe Kent did.

In the weeks building up to Trump's bombing of Iran in June, Tulsi testified in Congress under oath that the DNI had no evidence that Iran was working on a nuclear weapon. When asked about Tulsi’s testimony, Trump responded: “I don’t care what she said.” Tulsi should have resigned that day. Trump didn’t care about the intelligence provided by his own DNI; instead, he relied on the intelligence provided by Mossad Chief David Barnea.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2056835465429336261
 
Last edited:
The weird and contradictary Truth Social posts continue... one of them implying some possible action in Iran...

1000023524.jpg
HJBRnE4W0AAr2JF.jpeg
 
The second one seems surprisingly normal to me. The first at least is clear propaganda, which isn't completely abnormal given they are at war with them.

But, he's batshit crazy, as are most of his posts.
 
nfitz said:
The second one seems surprisingly normal to me. The first at least is clear propaganda, which isn't completely abnormal given they are at war with them.

But, he's batshit crazy, as are most of his posts.
Click to expand...
As long as the kleptocrats keep "making" money, they're happy with the Man With The Golden Throne
 
Deal with Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz 'largely negotiated,' Trump says | CBC News

Deal with Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz 'largely negotiated,' Trump says​

U.S. president says he spoke with various Middle East leaders on Saturday​


U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, has been "largely negotiated" after calls with Israel and other allies in the region.
"Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly," Trump said on social media, with no details on timing.
He said he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, along with Israel.
He described it as a "Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE" that still must be finalized by the United States, Iran and the other countries that participated in Saturday's talks.
However, shortly after Trump's post, Iran's Fars news ⁠agency disputed the claim and said the Strait of Hormuz would stay under Iran's control, according to the latest exchanged text between the two countries.
Furthermore, Fars called Trump's characterization that deal was close to the finish line "inconsistent with reality."
The Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 per cent of the world's oil is shipped, was effectively closed by Tehran after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February. The parties have been negotiating to secure a permanent end to the fighting ever since a ceasefire agreement was reached in April.
Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing of Iran if it does not accept an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back its nuclear program.
Iran, meanwhile, wants an end to the fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group; to ensure the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz; and to safeguard their enriched uranium stockpile and nuclear program.
Trump's post did not mention Iran's nuclear program or the Lebanon front.
 
Obviously it will likely open only if Trump and affiliates can take a cut from the transit fee
 
...it's more than Trump is willing to admit that Iran is left in the driver's seat (read: they won), while he's desperately trying to get out of a war he started with them...and that at the same time has also lost interest in continuing. This is not a contradictory position for a person who also clearly losing a grip on reality at the same time to. /sigh
 
Revenge from the days of when Donald Trump's father, Fred, owned slums (allegedly) in New York City. (See https://raineleone.substack.com/p/the-slumlord-bloodline-how-trumps)

HUD Moves to Limit Assistance Animals for Disabled Tenants​

From https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/us/politics/hud-assistance-animals-disabled.html

Housing officials were told to exclude emotional support animals and tighten the definition of a service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants.

The Trump administration on Friday narrowed the definition of an “assistance animal” allowed to live with disabled tenants in housing, a move that could lead to thousands of animals and their owners being evicted.

In an internal memo obtained by The New York Times, the Department of Housing and Urban Development told leaders in its fair housing office that “effective immediately” the department would exclude emotional support animals and more strictly police the definition of a qualified service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants.

Many landlords enforce a no-pets policy, or may charge renters a deposit or monthly fee for pets. Under the Fair Housing Act, disabled tenants can ask to have those restrictions waived to accommodate their disabilities.

In the first Trump administration, HUD issued guidance to landlords reinforcing that emotional support animals and other assistance animals were not considered pets, and were protected by the Fair Housing Act. Officials noted that emotional support animals provided “therapeutic emotional support” for people with disabilities.

Six years later, the housing department, under the leadership of Scott Turner, has moved aggressively to tighten rules and scrutinize public housing rolls, including by focusing on the immigration status of tenants.

The memo to housing officials on assistance animals presented emotional support animals as a loophole to circumvent a landlord’s pet policies, asserting that “an entire industry has emerged to convert pets into emotional support animals.”

The memo concluded that “while requests to waive pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability related services are presumptively reasonable, requests to waive pet policies for untrained” emotional support animals “are not.”

Erik Heins, a lawyer formerly in charge of enforcing fair housing laws at HUD, said that the new policy would affect many tenants who rely on assistance animals to alleviate psychiatric or mental disabilities — for example, a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Those cases are a not insignificant portion of the number of cases that HUD investigates” through its fair housing office, Mr. Heins said, adding that the housing department could dismiss or shelve thousands of appeals for disability accommodations under the new rule.
Click to expand...
 
Monarch Butterfly said:
Revenge from the days of when Donald Trump's father, Fred, owned slums (allegedly) in New York City. (See https://raineleone.substack.com/p/the-slumlord-bloodline-how-trumps)

HUD Moves to Limit Assistance Animals for Disabled Tenants​

From https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/us/politics/hud-assistance-animals-disabled.html

Housing officials were told to exclude emotional support animals and tighten the definition of a service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants.
Click to expand...
To be fair, a legitimate definition is required. Abuse of the very loose current definition is rampant, and it’s being used so that people can bring their Ill-behaved, untrained pets in plane cabins, in dining areas and just about anywhere they feel should be able to bring take them. Even the Star felt the need to write about it. I have no problem with legitimate support animals, but they should require proper training and paperwork from a doctor or mental health professional to go anywhere where there are health and safety concerns about animals.
 
Last edited:

LIVE: Trump says Iran deal not ‘fully negotiated yet’ | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera​

​

Trump says Iran deal not ‘fully negotiated yet’​

​
  • US President Donald Trump says a deal with Iran is not “fully negotiated yet” as uncertainty swirls amid continued differences between the two sides.
  • White House officials have taken a “cautious tone” while suggesting that a deal could take days to finalise, according to Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington, DC.

​
​

​

US-Iran deal ‘still work in progress’, Rubio says​

The US secretary of state says there is “a pretty solid” proposal on the table in terms of Iran’s “ability to open up” the Strait of Hormuz and “enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters”.​

“And hopefully we can pull it off. It has a lot of support in the Gulf. It has a lot of support globally; Every country that we’ve walked through it, understands it’s not just very reasonable but it’s the right thing for the world to get done,” he said.​

Speaking to reporters during his visit to India, Rubio reiterated that Trump is not in a hurry to reach an agreement.​

“The president is not going to make a bad agreement, so let’s see what happens. We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives.”​

​

Rubio says Iran deal still possible, affirms Israel’s right to self-defence​

The US secretary of state says an agreement with Iran is still possible.​

Rubio also emphasised that Israel retains the right to defend itself under any potential deal.​

As we’ve been reporting, Trump is facing intensifying pushback from prominent hawks within his Republican Party who are opposed to a negotiated end to the war with Iran.​

Here are the latest reactions and remarks from Republicans regarding the potential deal:​

  • Senator Ted Cruz: “If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime … now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz wrote on X.
  • Senator Roger Wicker: The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman condemned the proposed diplomatic track, warning that a temporary truce would erase recent military achievements. “Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!”
  • Senator Lindsey Graham: Calling a deal that leaves Iran in a strong position a “nightmare for Israel” Graham wrote on X: “If a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism and Iran still possesses the capability to destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure, then Iran will be perceived as being a dominate force requiring a diplomatic solution.”
  • Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Criticising reported concessions, the former top US diplomat said the purported deal being negotiated is “not remotely America First”.
​

​

 
Secret Service says officers fatally shot a person who fired at them near White House | CNN Politics

Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them.
Shortly before 6 p.m. ET, an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House complex and began firing at officers, a Secret Service spokesperson said, citing a preliminary investigation.
Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who later died at an area hospital, the spokesperson said.
“During the shooting, a bystander was also struck by gunfire. It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire,” the spokesperson added.
Secret Service personnel were not injured, and President Donald Trump was in the residence and unaffected, the spokerson said. He was briefed on the incident by the Secret Service, a White House official said.
The bystander is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official.
Authorities recovered a 9 mm pistol believed to have been used by the suspect in the shooting, a source briefed on the matter said.
The incident comes less than a month after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where reporters and Trump administration officials ducked for cover as shots rang out.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social early Sunday, thanked Secret Service and law enforcement officials for swiftly responding to the threat.
The incident “goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!” he added.
The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, three sources told CNN. Best had previous encounters with the Secret Service, one law enforcement source said, including an incident in June 2025 in which he blocked an entry lane at the White House. After claiming he was “God,” he was detained by the Secret Service and committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for mental evaluation, the source said.
The following month, in July 2025, the Secret Service arrested Best again after he attempted to enter a White House complex driveway, the source said. A judge issued an order demanding he stay away from the White House grounds.
While investigating the encounters last year, investigators discovered Best had made various statements on social media, including claiming he was “the real” Osama bin Laden, and at least one post indicating his desire to harm Trump, the source said.
But police had never encountered the suspect behaving violently or wielding a weapon before, according to a law enforcement source.

Gunshots trigger rapid security response​

CNN reporters heard what appeared to be dozens of gunshots near the White House shortly after 6 p.m. ET, triggering a roughly 40-minute lockdown for the press on the grounds and a rapid response from the Secret Service.
The sounds of gunfire broke out nearly an hour after a press lid had been called at 5:06 p.m. — a signal that reporters were not expecting to see Trump again for the remainder of the day. By that point, many journalists and White House press staff had already departed the complex.
Members of the press corps on the North Lawn were rushed into the White House briefing room, where they were told to shelter in place as Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned of “shots fired.” CNN counted roughly two dozen journalists sheltering inside the briefing room during the lockdown, including photographers, producers, photojournalists and correspondents.
Secret Service agents carrying rifles could be seen moving through the North Lawn area following the incident and blocking the White House press briefing room. The lockdown was lifted just after 6:45 p.m. ET.
The incident unfolded after several top administration officials, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice President JD Vance, were captured by CNN cameras leaving the White House grounds.
Trump remained in Washington this weekend after canceling a planned trip to his golf club in New Jersey.
CNN has reached out to the White House, DC Metropolitan Police, and the DC Fire and EMS Department for comment. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the agency was on the scene and supporting Secret Service.
Trump remained in Washington this weekend after canceling a planned trip to his golf club in New Jersey.
CNN has reached out to the White House, DC Metropolitan Police, and the DC Fire and EMS Department for comment. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the agency was on the scene and supporting Secret Service.
Selina Wang, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, posted a video on X showing the moment the apparent shots rang out and she ducked for cover.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” she posted.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top