‘It’s really scary’: Trump administration green card messaging prompts confusion and anxiety | CNN Politics

Francisco and Julia’s world together began at the end of the Earth. The couple, both research scientists, first met while working in Antarctica in January 2024. Their relationship quickly progressed as each took turns visiting each other’s homes — his in Chile, and hers in the US. Last summer, after Francisco met Julia’s family, they began planning seriously for the future. “We decided we want to spend the rest of our lives together,” Francisco said. The couple, who spoke with CNN on the condition that only their first names be published, got married last year, and Francisco applied for a green card that would allow him to permanently live and work in the country. They met with several lawyers who said Francisco would be able to apply to change his immigration status while living with Julia in the US rather than returning to his home in Chile. But the Trump administration’s recent whiplash messaging on its green card policy threatened to interrupt their burgeoning lives — both as a couple and now as a family. Julia is expecting twins later this year. A directive announced last week threatened to require most applicants for permanent residency to wait out the process