ICE and Border Protection are cracking down on U.S. Permanent Residents with long-resolved criminal records. Now Green Card holders are afraid to leave the country, for fear of not being allowed back.

Can Visa and Green Card Holders Be Deported? U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents guide illegal immigrants onboard a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on January 23, 2025.

A green card holder is someone who has lawful permanent residence status in the United States. Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer is a law professor at Cornell Law School who teaches immigration law.