2026年5月22日 美国东部时间下午5:53 / CNN
作者：迈克尔·威廉姆斯
更新于2026年5月22日 美国东部时间下午7:13
这张2014年的照片显示，一名尼加拉瓜民众在迈阿密申请美国公民身份时获得协助。
乔·雷德莱/盖蒂图片社
内容摘要
- 特朗普政府公布一项新规定，要求绿卡申请人在申请流程期间离开美国。
- 这一变更可能迫使数十万移民在申请期间辞去工作、与家人分离。
- 该规定是政府在打击非法移民之外，限制合法移民的又一举措。
AI生成的摘要已由CNN编辑审核。
特朗普政府将要求所有申请绿卡的人士在申请流程期间离开美国——这一彻底的改革可能打乱数十万寻求合法永久居住和工作权利的移民的生活。
美国移民当局在周五公布的一项新规定中表示，绿卡申请人必须返回本国申请永久居留签证。
这项突如其来的政策变动将影响大量合法留美移民群体，迫使寻求合法永久居留权的人士离开美国——导致家庭分离、民众被迫辞去工作，并扰乱社区秩序。众所周知，绿卡申请流程极为繁琐，可能耗时数月至数年不等。
美国公民及移民服务局发言人扎克·卡勒在一份声明中表示，该规定为“特殊情况”提供豁免。
卡勒称：“如果外籍人士从本国提交申请，将减少寻找和遣返那些在居留申请被拒后选择躲入暗处、非法滞留美国的人员的需求。”
根据美国国土安全部的公开数据，2024财年约有140万人获得了合法永久居留权。
这项新规定很可能面临法律挑战。自周五公布以来，它已经遭到了律师、国会议员和移民维权人士的强烈批评。
伊利诺伊州民主党众议员迪莉娅·C·拉米雷斯在X平台上表示，这项政策“极其残忍”，并呼吁“一步步拆解”国土安全部。
“特朗普故意让合法移民变得更加困难，”亚利桑那州民主党众议员格雷格·斯坦顿在X平台上说道，“美国之所以能够吸引顶尖研究人员、医生和工程师，正是因为我们的工作签证计划。”
“迫使这些移民在申请公民身份前离开美国，将剥夺我们的创新能力、税收贡献以及他们对美国经济的贡献，”斯坦顿说道。
卡托研究所移民研究主任戴维·J·比尔在一篇博客文章中称这项政策“不合逻辑”，并阐述了该规定可能带来的广泛连锁影响。
“它将促使人才流向其他国家，让美国在商业竞争中处于劣势，”比尔写道。
尽管打击非法移民一直是特朗普政府的首要任务，但这项新规定只是政府试图限制合法移民的最新例证。
本届政府已采取多项举措大幅减少庇护申请；终止了多个国家的临时保护身份，该身份允许因自然灾害、战争或其他危险情况逃离的民众留在美国，无需担心被驱逐；除南非白人外暂停难民入境；并限制工作和学生签证。
在华盛顿特区去年发生两名国民警卫队士兵遇袭事件后，政府宣布重新审查向19个“受关注国家”公民发放的所有绿卡。
不过，该起枪击案的据称行凶者是一名阿富汗国民，他于2021年申请了庇护——这一流程与绿卡申请不同——并于2025年获得批准。
本文已更新补充更多细节。
Trump administration upends green card process, potentially compelling hundreds of thousands to leave US to apply
May 22, 2026 5:53 PM ET / CNN
By Michael Williams
Updated May 22, 2026, 7:13 PM ET
This 2014 photo shows a person from Nicaragua receiving assistance in applying for United States citizenship in Miami.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Summary
- The Trump administration announced a new rule requiring green card applicants to leave the United States during the application process.
- The change could force hundreds of thousands of immigrants to leave their jobs and families while applications are processed.
- The rule marks another effort by the administration to restrict legal immigration alongside its crackdown on illegal immigration.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
The Trump administration will now require people seeking green cards to leave the United States during the application process — a sweeping change that could upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of people seeking the right to legally and permanently live and work in the US.
In a new rule announced Friday, US immigration authorities said green card applicants would have to return to their home countries to apply for permanent visas.
The abrupt policy change stands to affect a large swath of the legal US immigration population, compelling those seeking legal permanent residency to leave the country — separating families, forcing people to leave their jobs and disrupting communities in the process. Applying for a green card is a notoriously arduous process that can take several months to years to complete.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the rule provides exemptions for “extraordinary circumstances,” Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.
“When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency,” Kahler said.
About 1.4 million people obtained lawful permanent residence in fiscal year 2024, according to public Department of Homeland Security data.
The new rule is likely to face legal challenges. Since being announced Friday, it has already faced a torrent of criticism from attorneys, lawmakers and immigration advocates.
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat, said on X the policy is “beyond cruel” and called for the dismantling of DHS “piece by piece.”
“Trump just made legal immigration harder — on purpose,” Rep. Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, said on X. “America is able to attract the top researchers, doctors, & engineers because of our worker visa programs.”
“Forcing these immigrants to now leave the U.S. before applying for citizenship will deprive us of their innovation, their tax dollars, & their contributions to our economy,” Stanton said.
David J. Bier, the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, described the policy as “illogical” in a blog post laying out potential far-reaching and cascading impacts of the rule.
“It will drive talented people to other countries and make America a less competitive place for business,” Bier wrote.
While cracking down on illegal immigration has been a top priority for the Trump administration, the new rule represents just the latest example of how the administration is also attempting to curb legal forms of immigration.
The administration has made efforts to significantly reduce asylum claims; ended the temporary protected status for several countries, which allowed those fleeing natural disasters, wars or other dangerous conditions to live in the US without fear of being deported; halted refugee admissions except for White South Africans; and restricted work and student visas.
Following last year’s shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, the administration announced it was reexamining all green cards issued to people from 19 countries “of concern.”
However, the alleged perpetrator of that shooting, an Afghan national, applied for asylum — a different process than the green card applications process — in 2021, and it was granted in 2025.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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