'You are guests here': US government issues warning to green card holders
The Trump administration has issued another warning to green card holders to act like guests or face expulsion, writes Newsweek.
Photo: Mykhailo Polenok | Dreamstime.com
An X (formerly Twitter) post published recently by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminded lawful permanent resident status holders that their stay in the country could be revoked if they are deemed a threat to the national interest.
Why is it important
The warning underscores the Trump administration’s broadened approach to immigration enforcement, increasingly targeting not just undocumented individuals but legal residents as well. The focus has been on social media monitoring and ideological screening. Legal residents have reportedly been deported or barred from returning to the U.S. because of their online activity or political views.
The administration's tactics raise serious questions about free speech, surveillance and the limits of legal protections for immigrants who have lived legally in the United States for years.
On the subject: The most common reasons why you may be denied a green card, and how to solve these problems
What you need to know
A message posted on the USCIS official page reads: "EVERYONE should be aware. If you are a guest in our country, act like one. Our extensive social media screening program to identify threats to national security and public safety is ongoing. USCIS is monitoring anything online that could threaten our country and our way of life."
USCIS announced in March that it would soon require visa and green card applicants to provide all of their social media accounts as part of broader vetting efforts the agency says are necessary to ensure national security.
The information collected will be used for “identity verification, background checks, and national security screening,” the agency said. The change, which is already in effect, will impact more than 2,5 million applicants and add nearly 286 hours of work per year to USCIS staff, according to Newsweek.
Critics warn that the scope and subjectivity of such surveillance could undermine free speech. The Trump administration has argued that people who support Hamas, anti-Semitic ideas or other ideas that conflict with U.S. foreign policy are potential threats to national security and could be deported.
Those who do not break the law or immigration rules should not be afraid, a senior Border Guard official said.
According to the latest USCIS estimates for 2024, approximately 12,8 million people living in the United States have green cards or lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, of which approximately 8,6 million are eligible to apply for citizenship.
Each year, about half a million people apply to adjust their status to LPR. Green card holders come to the United States from all over the world. Some originally received work visas or entered through marriage to U.S. citizens.
The right to apply for citizenship begins three or five years after receiving the LPR, depending on the circumstances.
CNN has documented the fears of several green card holders, including a Canadian tattoo artist, a Colorado business owner and a Palestinian-American student leader, who are now afraid to travel abroad or express political views online.
Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and activist, was detained this year despite no criminal charges, sparking outrage among immigrant rights advocates. The administration cited a provision in the law that allows for deportation in cases of “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
David Leopold, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, called the measure a “dangerous precedent,” telling CNN: “Who’s next? An environmental activist? A trans activist? A person concerned about the health care system? Or just someone who’s against Donald Trump?”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials reminded that green card holders, despite real and perceived additional protections compared to other visa statuses, do not have an unconditional right to remain in the United States.
What people say
Becca Branum, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said: “The First Amendment protects everyone in the United States, regardless of their immigration status. The Trump administration cannot rewrite the Constitution by harassing and tracking immigrants online. Social media monitoring and opinion-based immigration policies will permanently curtail free expression for non-citizens and threaten the rights of all.”
Vera Eidelman, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Free Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said, “The First Amendment protects people regardless of their views or citizenship status. Expressing political views (even ones the government doesn’t like) does not make someone a security threat. And monitoring social media posts for ‘threats to our way of life’ does not make us safer. It will only make people think twice before saying anything controversial or critical of the government. Unfortunately, that seems to be the goal.”
Saira Hussain, a senior attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noted in March: “You’re talking about people who may have lived in the U.S. for 30 or 40 years. It really has a huge chilling effect… People are afraid that they’ll be audited and denied immigration benefits like naturalization.”
CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in early April, "The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws — unlike the previous administration. Those who violate them will be detained and removed to the fullest extent of the law."
Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News last month, "A green card holder, even if I like them, does not have an unlimited right to remain in the United States. If the secretary of state and the president decide that this person should not be in America, that's enough."
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What will happen next
As social media monitoring becomes an official part of the immigration system, advocates are advising green card holders to exercise caution online and avoid long trips abroad without consulting with lawyers. Legal experts predict an increase in citizenship applications as lawful permanent residents seek to protect themselves from sudden removal.
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