EASIER PATH TO GREEN CARD: Trump revokes Biden’s pandemic-era measure!

Just a few days after the Trump administration took office, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an urgent change.

Applicants for permanent residency in the United States will no longer be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

USCIS “will not deny” green cards due to lack of COVID vaccine

“USCIS will not issue any requests for evidence or notices of intent to deny related to providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination. USCIS will not deny any application for adjustment of status on the basis that the applicant failed to submit documentation of having received a COVID-19 vaccine.”

Effective today, Jan. 22, 2025, USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status application based on an applicant not presenting documentation that they received the COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more: https://t.co/YcOSsyRud7
— USCIS (@USCIS) January 22, 2025

Applicants for permanent residency in the US, also known as green card status, will still need to show that they are vaccinated against other diseases, such as measles, hepatitis B, polio, and tetanus.

The requirement for a COVID-19 vaccination was introduced by the administration of former President, Democrat Joe Biden, in October 2021.

Republican Representative Thomas Messi, who previously proposed a law to abolish the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, welcomed the USCIS statement on Wednesday.

“I have a law that repeals the COVID vaccine mandate for legal immigrants, but Trump has just suspended the mandate. Hallelujah!” Messi posted on the social network X.

I have a bill to end the COVID jab mandate for legal immigrants, but Trump just suspended the mandate. Hallelujah! pic.twitter.com/bArvC0zfV6
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 22, 2025

President Trump is pursuing an anti-immigration agenda

While the USCIS rule change has removed a potential barrier to obtaining green card status, Republican President Trump is seeking to implement a strict anti-immigration agenda since returning to the White House last week.

What anti-immigration measures has Trump taken?

Among a number of executive orders, Trump has declared illegal immigration on the US-Mexico border a national crisis, sending additional troops to the area “to support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security in achieving full operational control of the United States’ southern border.”

“America’s sovereignty is under attack,” the White House said on the day of Trump’s second inauguration as president.

“Our southern border is overwhelmed by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from hostile states, and illegal narcotics that harm Americans, including America.”

The Trump administration has also launched immigration raids across the US, while the Washington Post reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been ordered to detain over 1,000 people per day.

In a statement on Sunday’s raids in Chicago, ICE said it was conducting “increased targeted operations” to “enforce US immigration law and protect public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminals out of our communities.”

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Meanwhile, Trump has abolished the CBP One app, a mobile app that allowed about 1,500 daily appointments for immigration asylum seekers at the US border, allowing migrants to legally enter the country while their application is being processed. All existing appointments have been canceled.

In addition, Trump’s anti-immigration measures include an executive order aimed at abolishing the right to citizenship by birth in the US. Defined by the American Immigration Council as “the legal principle whereby citizenship is automatically granted to individuals born in a particular territory,” the right to birthright citizenship is seemingly protected by the US Constitution.

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,”

However, in a statement announcing the executive order, which faces numerous legal challenges, the Trump administration argues that “the 14th Amendment was never interpreted to universally extend citizenship to all persons born within the United States.”