Green card applicants who are pursuing legal residency through a spouse may now face greater risks of deportation due to a newly enacted policy by the Trump administration, which intensifies its immigration enforcement measures. Under this policy, U.S. immigration authorities are empowered to initiate removal proceedings against immigrants lacking legal status who apply for lawful permanent residency through family connections.
According to recent guidance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), family-based petitions do not confer any immigration status and do not prevent deportation. This change took effect immediately and affects both current applicants and those with pending requests.
Family-based immigration has historically been a primary route to legal residency, requiring sponsorship from a U.S. citizen or green card holder. President Trump has long criticized this pathway, labeling it “chain migration” and advocating for stricter immigration controls.
Despite these criticisms, it is noteworthy that First Lady Melania Trump’s parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, acquired their Green Cards through the same family-based method now being targeted. They became U.S. citizens in 2018, a process that Trump has previously condemned.
The USCIS announcement highlights concerns over what it calls fraudulent or frivolous visa petitions, asserting that such cases undermine confidence in family pathways to lawful resident status. The new regulations come amidst a significant backlog of 11.3 million pending immigration cases, with nearly 2.9 million I-130 petitions currently in process.
Experts have pointed out that the policy puts undocumented immigrants as well as those with legal status at risk of deportation, particularly affecting individuals waiting for green card decisions and those whose temporary visas may expire during the lengthy waiting period. This policy change raises serious implications for families and the immigrant community as a whole.
As the immigration landscape continues to shift, the unfolding situation demands close attention to the potential consequences for those seeking to build their lives in the United States through family connections. It highlights the importance of maintaining family unity in a climate of heightened scrutiny and regulation.