Green Card Holders Now Face Removal for Protest, Posts, and Past Crimes
Immigration authorities revive hardline tactics to revoke status from legal immigrants accused of any offense or political alignment deemed threatening.
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, U.S. immigration authorities issued a stark warning to green card holders: violate immigration laws or hold a criminal record, and you may lose your legal status and face deportation.
The statement emphasized that lawful permanent residents (LPRs) arriving at ports of entry with prior criminal convictions may be detained and referred for removal proceedings. The announcement comes amid a broad crackdown under President Donald Trump, who has pledged to deport one million people per year and expand removals to include green card holders accused of any violation.
“Attention Green Card Holders: Having a criminal history does not make you an upstanding lawful permanent resident,” CBP posted earlier this year. “Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right.”
The warning echoes similar messages from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which have ramped up online messaging since Trump’s return to office. In a May 5 post, USCIS wrote: “Green cards and visas will be revoked if an alien breaks the law, supports terrorism, overstays their permitted visit time, performs illegal work, or anything else that violates the terms on which we granted them this privilege or compromises the safety of our fellow Americans.”
A Widening Net
The warnings coincide with a series of high-profile detentions of green card holders and applicants, including those tied to campus protests. The Trump administration has targeted foreign students, scholars, and permanent residents accused of supporting Hamas or participating in anti-Israel demonstrations.
One such case involved Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and graduate student at Columbia University, who was arrested by ICE agents at his university housing. Khalil had no criminal charges but was flagged for removal under a Trump executive order targeting alleged supporters of “terrorist-affiliated ideology.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the administration’s message in a March 9 post on X, stating: “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
According to estimates by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, there were approximately 12.8 million lawful permanent residents in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024.
Legal Experts: Due Process Still Applies
Despite the surge in enforcement rhetoric, legal scholars emphasize that the revocation of a green card is not a unilateral executive action. Amelia Wilson, director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, told Newsweek, “The Department of Homeland Security cannot unilaterally ‘revoke’ a permanent resident’s status. There is a process the agency must follow, including serving the individual with a ‘Notice of Intent to Rescind,’ at which time that individual is entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge.”
Wilson added: “During these proceedings, it is the government that bears the burden of proving by clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that the permanent resident should have their status taken away. At that point it is the immigration judge—and only the immigration judge—who can effectively strip an individual of their green card.”
Growing Tensions
The campaign has stirred fear among immigrant communities, particularly amid reports that even long-time green card holders have been detained for past offenses or political activity. Advocacy groups have documented a rise in LPRs caught up in raids originally aimed at undocumented immigrants.
While critics accuse the Trump administration of using immigration policy as a political weapon, supporters say the government is enforcing existing laws that have been ignored for too long.
Whether these new enforcement actions hold up in court remains to be seen. Immigration judges are already reviewing several cases involving green card holders detained under the new directives.
Liked this story? Help us break the next one. Migrant Insider is one of the only outlets digging deep into the secret machinery behind U.S. immigration policy. Our reporting is independent, relentless, and often uncovers what others won’t touch.