Once an individual obtains their lawful permanent residence status in the U.S. the immigration lawyers and attorneys in our office have to explain that the green card CAN be taken away by the U.S. government. An individual's lawful permanent residence can be revoked, rescinded, abandoned or terminated by the U.S. government for a variety of reasons. One of the most frequent reasons to lose lawful permanent residence is the failure by a green card holder to maintain their lawful permanent residence in the U.S.