Getting or hanging onto your US visa just got a whole lot tougher. The Trump administration on Thursday said it is reviewing the records of all 55 million US visa holders to identify violations that could lead to revocation and deportation of foreign nationals.
The US Department of State under Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that all current US visa holders, including students, tourists, and workers, are subject to “continuous vetting”. What it means is that they are basically going to look for any indication that would make these visa holders ineligible for entry or stay in the US.
Indicators of ineligibility include - overstaying, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organisation. Should any evidence be found, the visa would be revoked. If the visa holder were already in the US, they would be subjected to deportation.
This move marks a significant expansion of President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on immigration since being re-elected to the White House. The Trump administration is already using all resources at hand to catch and deport undocumented immigrants, as well as revoking student visas for reasons such as pro-Palestinian activism.
The latest move follows an announcement on Tuesday by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - the department that handles requests to stay in the US or become a citizen.
The USCIS said it would expand vetting of applicants’ social media postings to look for “anti-American” views. Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser declared that America’s benefits will not be given to those who “despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies”. He further said that living and working in the US is a “privilege, not a right.”
The reviews will employ new tools for data collection on past, present and future visa applicants, including a complete scouring of social media sites. Remember, earlier this year, new rules made it mandatory for privacy settings to be turned off on all electronic devices or apps when an applicant appears for a visa interview.
Historically, one was anti-American if they were pro-communism. But, the latest guidance on immigration decisions said that authorities will look at whether US visa applicants “promote antisemitic ideologies”.
