US lawmakers and immigration advocates have criticized the Trump administration's new policy requiring green card seekers to apply from their home country.
Democratic lawmakers vowed to fight against the policy, describing it as 'reprehensible', and said they would pursue every avenue to push for its reversal.
Congresswoman Grace Meng called the new rule 'reckless', saying it displayed 'stunning disregard for the human cost it will impose on hundreds of thousands of people each year.'
Congressman Dan Goldman questioned the change in status quo, which had been the rule for the past 70 years, and alleged that the Trump administration had brought in changes 'solely to inflict damage on our immigrants and mixed families.'
The new policy requires immigrants seeking permanent residency to return to their home countries and complete the visa process at a US consulate abroad.
Under the new rule, officials have been directed to treat the 'adjustment' of status as an 'extraordinary' measure instead of the norm.
