Lawyers, Policy Experts React to Trump's Green Card Crackdown

Key Points:

• The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will grant "adjustment of status" green cards only in "extraordinary circumstances," potentially forcing many immigrants to leave the US and wait abroad during processing, sparking widespread concern and confusion.
• Business leaders, tech entrepreneurs, and immigration advocates warn the policy could harm the US economy and innovation by disrupting the status of skilled workers, scientists, and entrepreneurs who rely on legal immigration pathways.
• Critics argue the move will negatively impact families, increase backlogs, and undermine American competitiveness in fields like AI, with some calling it a deliberate attempt to make immigration more difficult.
• Prominent voices including Blake Scholl, Andrew Ng, Reid Hoffman, and Yvette Clarke have publicly condemned the policy as harmful and misguided, emphasizing the need to retain talented immigrants to sustain US growth.
• Libertarian analyst David J. Bier highlighted the policy's risks of triggering bars on reentry for applicants forced to leave, while others describe the changes as self-sabotaging US scientific and economic leadership amid global competition.