The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a new policy requiring foreigners seeking to adjust their immigration status to apply for green cards from their home countries. This significant change, detailed in a policy memo, reverses over 60 years of precedent and has been met with backlash from aid organizations, policy analysts, and immigration attorneys. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that this policy aims to prevent loopholes and ensure the immigration system operates as intended. Currently, over 1 million legal immigrants in the U.S. are awaiting green cards, and many will now need to leave the country during the application process. This shift is expected to particularly affect mixed-status families, who may face job loss and instability in their homes. Critics argue that the policy endangers vulnerable individuals, such as survivors of trafficking and abused children, by forcing them to return to potentially dangerous situations. The USCIS is already struggling with a backlog of visa and green card applications, and it remains unclear how this new policy will impact those currently in the application process. This policy change is part of a series of immigration restrictions enacted by the Trump administration.