Trump Administration Defends Green Card Policy Shift, But Legal Experts Warn of Wider Impact

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has moved to reassure immigrants and employers that recent changes to green card processing policy will not harm eligible applicants, even as former immigration officials and legal experts raised serious concerns about the real-world consequences of the new directive.
According to CBS News, the clarification came amid growing alarm that a new guidance issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could force millions of green card applicants to leave the United States and complete their cases at American consulates abroad — a prospect that immigration attorneys described as deeply disruptive.
The directive restricts the use of a process known as “adjustment of status,” which allows certain immigrants sponsored by family members or employers to obtain permanent residency while remaining inside the United States. Following swift backlash from immigration lawyers, business groups, and immigrant advocates, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) insisted the guidance merely reaffirms longstanding law and policy, adding: “This policy will not prevent any alien who is legitimately and properly eligible for a green card from obtaining one.”
However, Lynden Melmed, former Chief Counsel of USCIS, pushed back sharply against that assurance. He warned that the policy would likely place a significant additional burden on both applicants and attorneys, as it would require greater documentation to justify completing the process from within the United States. “The underlying policy will still slow down legal immigration,” Melmed cautioned.
The move is widely seen as part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration and its efforts to reduce legal immigration pathways for citizens of developing nations — a trend that has drawn criticism from both civil liberties organizations and the business community alike.