It has no doubt been said by many people since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January of 2025, that the near-irreparable damage done to the United States regarding immigration by Joe Biden and his feckless administration will take years, if not decades, to fix. President Trump and his administration have done amazing work on immigration in the last 15 months, and they continue to find new ways to make immigration law work better for the American people.
EXCELLENT!!!! It’s called common sense. https://t.co/GEBFyhySiV
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) May 22, 2026
On Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that any non-citizens who have applied for a green card or lawful permanent resident status must return to their home country, even if they have spouses or children who are citizens. They will be required to wait for the processing of their application through consular processing, which goes through the U.S. State Department. Any granting of “adjustment of status” would only take place in “extraordinary circumstances” and on a case-by-case basis.
READ MORE: $15K Visa Bonds Are Coming – and Overstays Are the Target
Trump administration officials claim that the original intent of the law is that any non-citizens coming into the country on a student or tourist visa, or temporary work status, are required to leave once the visa expires, and that any visa or temporary work status they hold is not a first step toward a green card. While this policy may align with the original intentions of the law, there will almost certainly be lawsuits to follow.
USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said in a statement:
“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. This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes. When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency.”
AMERICA IS CLOSED TO LAWBREAKERS.
If you enter our country illegally, you WILL face the consequences — including fines.
Under @POTUS and @SecMullinDHS, we are enforcing our nation’s laws. https://t.co/QjL5vEEOHw
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 18, 2026
Kahler went on to add:
“Following the law allows the majority of these cases to be handled by the State Department at U.S. consular offices abroad and frees up limited USCIS resources to focus on processing other cases that fall under its purview, including visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications and other priorities. The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient.”
Besides having spouses and children who are citizens, those who don’t want the law to be followed trot out the old standards, that the green card applicants are “paying taxes,” and filling labor shortages while they are here. Is that the same “doing the jobs Americans won’t do?” Critics also say that applicants will be subject to long processing delays and humanitarian concerns. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not made it clear whether they will deport green card applicants.
ALSO READ: A Loss for Trump in the Birthright Citizenship Case Doesn’t Have to Be a Loss for America
While there may be some who decide to play by the rules and return to their home countries to await green card processing, how many who are already here will just stay regardless, and will the system ever see them again? There are already plenty of non-citizens who have overstayed visas and work permits now. If it wasn’t the law, it should be now. We can absolutely expect the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and pro-illegal immigration groups to put their unwanted two cents in on this one.
We are finally addressing the problem of LEGAL immigration.
Pivotal. Insanely important. This is the necessary trajectory. https://t.co/EuW1Um2iWu
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) May 22, 2026
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
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