Trump directs legal migrants to return to home country to apply for green cards |
Trump directs legal migrants to return to home country to apply for green cards
The Trump administration on Friday announced prospective immigrants would need to return to their home country to apply for green cards, a move that would stifle the most common pathway used for legal immigration.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) portrayed the new policy memo as “returning to the original intent of the law,” while immigration advocates said the change was a cruel and disruptive move targeting those in the country legally.
Under the new USCIS policy, those who have already legally lived and worked in the U.S. for years would have to return to their home country to apply to return.
Meanwhile, the State Department has halted immigrant visa processing in 75 different countries.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly. From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said in a release.
“This........