Could the president of the US cancel the green card program altogether and deport all green card holders/legal permanent residents? Now, new green cards won't be issued for 60 days, but what about ppl with cards, get them cancelled?

June 16, 2020

The power of the President is described in a section 212(f) of the INA bill:

f. Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.

The president may, by proclamation, restrict admission and entry of alien for period as he shall deem necessary.

Basically, he can’t, without having the Congress and the Senate approval, do any permanent change to how immigration work.

***

Can he cancel the green card issuance? No. He can suspend it temporarily. (While there is no strict limit about how long it can be. The president would eventually face a vote from the Congress and his executive order would be overturned.)

Can he deport all green card holders? No. He can only prevent them from entering the United States.

Can he cancel green cards? No. Because that would be permanent. Only a judge can rescind a green card permanently. And it can only be for the reason that the green card holders didn’t meet all the requirements (residency, good morale character, etc.)… or the green card holder lied on his application.

And… Green card are still issued at this very moment for people doing an Adjustment of Status. Because those people are already in the United States.

June 16, 2020

Just now, afacc123 said:

The power of the President is described in a section 212(f) of the INA bill:

f. Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.

The president may, by proclamation, restrict admission and entry of alien for period as he shall deem necessary.

Basically, he can’t, without having the Congress and the Senate approval, do any permanent change to how immigration work.

***

Can he cancel the green card issuance? No. He can suspend it temporarily. (While there is no strict limit about how long it can be. The president would eventually face a vote from the Congress and his executive order would be overturned.)

Can he deport all green card holders? No. He can only prevent them from entering the United States.

Can he cancel green cards? No. Because that would be permanent. Only a judge can rescind a green card permanently. And it can only be for the reason that the green card holders didn’t meet all the requirements (residency, good morale character, etc.)… or the green card holder lied on his application.

And… Green card are still issued at this very moment for people doing an Adjustment of Status. Because those people are already in the United States.