Not a while ago, immigrants saw a Green Card as a one-way ticket to their American dream and getting a permanent residency in the United States. However, now thousands of green card holders in the US, including Indians, are living in fear of deportation amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. In a new warning to green card holders, the Trump administration has asked them to behave like a "guest" in the US or risk being deported from the country.
Asking green card holders to abide by American "laws and values", the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) listed reasons why the government can take away the "privilege" of permanent residency from immigrants.
"Green cards and visas will be revoked if an alien breaks the law," USCIS said in a post on X.
"Coming to America and receiving a visa or green card is a privilege. Our laws and values must be respected. If you advocate for violence, endorse or support terrorist activity, or encourage others to do so, you are no longer eligible to stay in the US," the Immigration Department added further.
The department added that it is continuously working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to rigorously vet all aliens even after a visa or green card has been obtained.
"This vigilance is essential to making America safe again. Break the laws and you will lose your green card or visa privilege," it added.
The move--which follows the launch of a new "Catch-And-Revoke" -- raised concerns among legal residents amid the mass deportations of illegal immigrants by the Trump Administration. Announcing the policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, "Whenever the government catches non-US citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. The era of abusing our nation's generosity is over."
For Indian immigrants, the path to permanent residency or a green card is already particularly daunting. Due to per-country limits, Indian nationals can face wait times of 50 years or more for employment-based green cards. Now, the new rules suggest that even if people secured permanent residency after years of waiting, their future in the US is not secured, and they can be deported over a minor run-in with the law.
Under old norms, immigrants had the legal safeguard to challenge revocations or rectify minor violations, which the new policy could eliminate, potentially making visa revocation a ground for deportation without appeal.
