U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has significantly increased denials of green card applications amid heightened vetting under the Trump administration, including probes into applicants' "anti-American" views.

Green card approvals dropped by about half over the past year, with family-sponsored cases falling 54% from July 2025 to January 2026, according to data analyzed by the Cato Institute. Humanitarian categories, such as refugees and asylees, faced even steeper cuts, including a near halt in refugee approvals starting in December 2025. USCIS paused processing for applicants from dozens of high-risk countries and implemented new scrutiny measures to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests.

A key factor in these changes is an August 19, 2025, USCIS policy update directing officers to examine discretionary immigration benefits like green cards, work permits, and student status changes for evidence of "anti-American" views or activities. Officers must review social media and other records for endorsements of terrorist groups, antisemitic ideology, or support for violence against the U.S. government. Such findings constitute an "overwhelmingly negative factor" that can justify denial, even if applicants otherwise qualify.

USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated the policy roots out anti-Americanism, emphasizing that benefits should not go to those who "despise the country." Director Joseph Edlow defended the rule, clarifying that it targets support for terrorist ideologies aiming to destroy the American way of life, not mere political criticism. Examples include pro-Hamas statements or blocking Jewish students during campus protests.

The policy draws from existing immigration law, such as 8 USC 1424, which bars citizenship for advocates of communism, totalitarianism, or government overthrow. It also checks for improper parole use or fraud. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson remarked, "If you hate America, don’t try to live in America. It’s that simple."

Additional factors contributing to denials include staffing shortages after a 10% employee reduction in 2025, backlogs exceeding 6 million cases, and stricter evidentiary standards for family-based applications updated in August and October 2025. USCIS now requires interviews in applicants' home countries and has ended automatic work permit extensions.

Immigration experts have raised concerns about subjectivity. Stephen Yale-Loehr called the language "very subjective," giving adjudicators broad discretion. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted "anti-American" is "ill-defined and malleable." Attorneys advise applicants to scrub social media, as reviews lack time limits and could misinterpret past posts.

No specific denial cases solely for political views were publicly detailed, but the policy applies to both new and pending applications. It coincides with broader enforcement, such as reviewing green cards from 19 countries after a November 2025 incident and suspensions for 40 nations by January 2026.

These measures reflect the administration's focus on national security and immigration enforcement, with USCIS launching an enforcement wing in September 2025.