Trump Seeks Deportation of Green Card Holders in the U.S.

Thousands of green cards under review

Trump hardens immigration policy

Residents face possible deportation

The administration of Donald Trump is expanding its immigration crackdown to include lawful permanent residents in the United States.

Why it matters: The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a new unit dedicated to reevaluating thousands of green card holders’ cases, which could potentially lead to deportation.

The initiative seeks to identify migrants suspected of fraud or considered potential threats to the country.

Internal data obtained by The New York Times revealed that at least 50 permanent residents currently face possible deportation proceedings.

DHS reviews thousands of green cards

“Migrants holding Green Cards face risk of deportation.”
https://t.co/2RY9dtDhaF

— El Público TV (@Elpublicotv) May 15, 2026

The new federal strategy focuses on reviewing the immigration records of individuals with lawful permanent resident status in the United States.

According to the internal data, approximately 2,890 cases had either been reviewed or remained under investigation as of May 7.

Most of the reviewed cases did not result in additional action.

The figures show that roughly 80% of the evaluated cases were considered not to require further measures.

Even so, more than 500 green card holders remained under active review at the time of the report.

Authorities are seeking to detect possible immigration fraud or situations considered threats to national security.

The approximately 50 potentially deportable cases represent only a small portion of the total reviews conducted so far.

Immigration policy expands its scope

Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New ‘Removal Apparatus’ – The New York Times https://t.co/k3kysudQxJ

— 7X (@99024c3da3dd4dc) May 16, 2026

The green card review initiative reflects how the Trump administration is extending its immigration policies beyond undocumented immigrants.

The current effort now includes migrants who already obtained legal status within the United States.

In recent months, authorities have also expanded initiatives involving refugees and naturalized citizens.

Those actions have generated concern among long-term residents living in the country.

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Many fear their immigration benefits could become subject to new federal reviews.

The government argues that stronger immigration controls are necessary.

Trump officials claim policies implemented under former President Joe Biden created overly flexible review processes.

Under that perspective, the newly created unit seeks to correct possible weaknesses in prior green card evaluations.

The creation of the specialized group also highlights the aggressive approach adopted by federal immigration authorities.

Critics question the use of federal resources

The strategy has sparked criticism from former national security officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Some argue that the government is dedicating excessive resources toward reviewing cases that ultimately produce few consequences.

The internal figures reinforce some of those concerns.

Only about 2% of the reviewed green card holders were considered potentially deportable.

For critics, those numbers demonstrate limited results compared with the scale of the investigations being conducted.

The broad review process has also increased uncertainty among lawful permanent residents.

The Green Card remains one of the primary legal pathways allowing immigrants to live and work permanently in the United States.

However, the new policy opens the door to stricter scrutiny even for individuals who already possess approved legal status.

Federal immigration authorities continue evaluating hundreds of pending cases.

So far, DHS has not disclosed how many deportation proceedings may ultimately move forward after the green card review.