The Department of Homeland Security is considering reviewing the cases of permanent residents to revoke their green cards and deport them.

The US Department of Homeland Security has established a new unit that is re-screening green card holders and is already preparing dozens of them for deportation. According to internal statistics obtained by the Department of Homeland Security, The New York TimesThe agency intends to deport at least 50 permanent residents.

The checks are carried out by a specially created unit that reviews the cases of thousands of immigrants across the country.

As of May 7, approximately 2890 cases had been reviewed or were in progress. In 80% of cases, authorities found no grounds for further action. More than 500 people are still being investigated.

On the subject: The US is introducing 'enhanced' security checks for migrants applying for green cards and naturalization.

This involves additional screening of green card holders suspected of fraud or security risks. The very creation of a separate unit demonstrates how rigorously the authorities intend to weed out those deemed unworthy of legal status.

This is yet another sign that immigration policy is becoming more stringent, not only against undocumented immigrants. In recent months, authorities have also attempted to review the status of refugees and naturalized citizens. This has heightened the feeling among many long-time residents of the United States that their legal status no longer seems secure.

The administration explains the campaign by arguing that vetting procedures were too lax under Joe Biden and now need to be strengthened. However, former Department of Homeland Security officials, who served under both Democrats and Republicans, question the effectiveness of this approach. They point out that, according to internal data, only about 2% of vetted green card holders are potentially subject to deportation—and question whether the expenditure of resources is justified.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Zach Kahler said the agency is undergoing organizational changes to "better protect American citizens and fulfill its priorities."

"Our primary mission is to keep the United States safe by thoroughly vetting foreign nationals," he said, adding that the agency will continue reforms if it sees opportunities to strengthen the immigration system.

According to him, re-screening is being carried out on individuals detained or convicted of various offenses, including sexual assault, domestic violence, drunk driving, and possession of drug paraphernalia. In some cases, these include individuals who admitted to involvement in organizations suspected of illegally obtaining export-controlled technology and information for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In addition, the focus has been on those whom the Citizenship and Immigration Service believes lied when applying for permanent resident status.

At the same time, the fact that only a few of those audited were ultimately charged with violations indirectly indicates that the audits affected a much wider circle of people than simply convicted criminals or participants in fraudulent schemes.

According to a source familiar with the situation, tens of thousands of green card holders across the country have already been selected for further screening. The unit's staff is analyzing their criminal records and previously submitted immigration documents for signs of possible fraud.

Some former officials doubt that such a strategy is justified.

Sarah Pierce, a former analyst at the Citizenship and Immigration Services, notes that the agency is already facing a colossal workload. "The very fact of how wisely it is to spend resources on re-screening, given the scale of the backlog, raises many questions. And these figures only heighten those doubts," she says.

According to the latest data, as of the end of September, the agency had over 11 million unprocessed applications for various immigration procedures. The backlog has been growing for several years and has roughly doubled since the end of 2019.

The unit handling green card holders is part of a new structure within the agency—the so-called Tactical Operations Directorate. It comprises several areas, including permanent resident processing, citizenship deprivation, and refugee re-examination.

In an internal email, the agency's director, Daniel Andrade, explicitly referred to the group working with green card holders as a "removal mechanism," using the term for lawful permanent residents. According to the documents, approximately 40 immigration officers are involved in the checks.

Former agency employees emphasize that the current campaign is significantly broader and more rigorous than previous attempts to revise the status of people already legally residing in the country.

Previously, background checks for green card holders were typically conducted when renewing their cards, applying for citizenship, or receiving other immigration benefits. Now, the agency is proactive, initiating case reviews and seeking deportation.

"There hasn't been this much emphasis on re-examinations before," said Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, a representative of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Grounds for deportation for green card holders can range from serious crimes to fraudulent status acquisition. For example, a conviction for drug trafficking or murder almost certainly leads to removal. Some less serious offenses can also be grounds for deportation, although not all. For example, a first-time arrest for drunk driving without injury usually does not result in deportation.

The process itself is not instantaneous: a person has the right to appear before an immigration judge, who makes the final decision.

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There are few official, publicly available statistics on the annual deportation of green card holders. Authorities generally haven't made them a priority unless serious crimes are involved.

Kerry Doyle, a partner at the law firm Green & Spiegel and former chief legal officer of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Biden administration, notes that deportation attempts are not uncommon, but they are not common either.

"It happens, but clearly not on a regular basis," she says.

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