Green-card holders are increasingly fearful under the Trump administration as heightened border scrutiny and detentions signal a broader immigration crackdown.
A growing number of lawful permanent residents are rethinking their travel plans and immigration status amid signs that the Trump administration in the US is expanding its deportation campaign to include green-card holders — a group long viewed as secure in their legal standing in the United States, the Washington Post reported.
A shift in advice as detentions spark alarm
New York-based immigration attorney Pouyan Darian, who just weeks ago told clients that green-card holders had “the absolute right” to reenter the US, has reversed course. Following a series of high-profile detentions at airports and border checkpoints, Darian now advises clients to delay travel, warning that reentry could expose them to heightened scrutiny. “I didn’t expect them to go after green-card holders,” he said.
The number of confirmed detentions remains small but significant. Among them are two student activists in New York, a German resident returning from abroad, and a Filipina woman in Seattle who had lived in the US for three decades. Their stories — amplified by viral TikTok videos and online forums — have fueled widespread anxiety among the country’s estimated 12.8 million lawful permanent residents.
New enforcement tactics reflect broader crackdown
The apparent shift in enforcement priorities comes as the Trump administration, frustrated by the slow pace of deportations, intensifies efforts to reach its ambitious removal targets. In recent weeks, federal officials deported 238 migrants to a mega-prison in El Salvador without legal proceedings, a move that legal analysts say signals a new phase in the administration’s approach — one that includes immigrants who are in the country legally.
“Green-card holders who have not broken any US laws, committed application fraud, or failed to apply for a reentry permit after a long period of travel have nothing to fear,” said Hilton Beckham, an assistant commissioner at US Customs and Border Protection. But immigration attorneys say the message on the ground is very different.
Fear and confusion ripple through immigrant communities
Reports of green-card holders being interrogated or pressured to sign forms renouncing their status have stoked fear in immigrant communities. One viral TikTok video claimed a 23-year-old nursing student was deported after returning from her mother’s funeral abroad. Two mid-March arrests further amplified public concern.
Federal agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian protest leader at Columbia University, accusing him of ties to Hamas. His attorney called the detention politically motivated. Days later, Fabian Schmidt, a German national and lawful US resident since 2008, was detained at Boston’s Logan Airport and allegedly pressured into signing a document giving up his green card. Schmidt is now being held in Rhode Island pending a court hearing.
The Department of Homeland Security has disputed reports of mistreatment and cited past legal issues in both cases, including a dismissed marijuana charge and a DUI conviction for Schmidt.
Chilling effect extends beyond green-card holders
Immigration lawyers say the wave of enforcement has triggered panic even among naturalized citizens and visa holders. “People are terrified,” said Los Angeles-based attorney Joshua Goldstein. “I’m even getting questions from US citizens asking, ‘Can I travel?’”
Goldstein pointed to comments by US Vice President JD Vance, who on March 13 said green-card holders do not have an “indefinite right” to stay in the country and that decisions about who belongs in America ultimately rest with the executive branch. “It’s as simple as that,” Vance said.
Everyday lives disrupted by legal limbo
Many immigrants are now rethinking key life decisions. One Venezuelan man, a green-card holder since 2022, postponed a honeymoon abroad, choosing to stay in Puerto Rico to avoid risking detention. His wife described the fear of separation as “a really scary thought.”
A South American communications professional on the West Coast, who received his green card a decade ago through marriage, said he’s considering applying for citizenship sooner than planned. “It’s more that I’m uncertain,” he said. “Should I leave the country? Should I have plans?”
A broader shift in immigration enforcement philosophy
Legal experts say the developments reflect a clearer articulation of a long-standing Trump administration goal: no distinction between noncitizen categories. David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said Trump’s team is acting on an ideology that treats all noncitizens as potentially removable.
“They are crystal clear that they don’t see a distinction between one noncitizen category and another,” Bier said. “They will arrest and deport you if you run contrary to their goals.”
Anxiety deepens amid lack of clarity and communication
Lawyers across the country say their offices have been inundated with calls from clients looking for guidance. Many green-card holders are cancelling international travel, even to attend funerals or visit close family members. Few are willing to speak publicly for fear of retaliation.
White Plains attorney LaToya McBean Pompy noted that green-card complications at border checkpoints are not new, but the tone and tactics of enforcement have dramatically changed. “The anxiety is different now,” she said. “People see this playing out in videos and start thinking: ‘This could be me.’”
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