WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Chris Coons issued the following press release:

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and dozens of their colleagues demanded an explanation from the Trump administration on the recent changes to the green card application process.

In a letter to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow, the lawmakers cited a recent USCIS memorandum that requires noncitizens seeking a green card to apply abroad, as well as - for the first time - establish their presence in the United States as "in the national interest."

The lawmakers wrote:...