Trump administration starts vetting people during visa acquiring process by asking their email addresses, phone numbers and social media handles.
The policy is part of the U.S. government’s expanded “extreme vetting” process for all immigrants and visitors.
And according to a report by Hill.TV, if visa applicants lie about their accounts, they can face “serious immigration consequences.”
As an applicant, a person can choose to not declare that he/she doesn't use social media. But the authorities will perform a check to see if the person is lying.
It started in March 2018, when the state department had originally proposed the idea of collecting social media handles, email addresses, and phone numbers applicants use in the last five years.
Initially, the listed drop down menu for visa applicants to fill only includes major social media websites, like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, but the official said that applicants soon will be able to list all sites that they use.
According to a U.S. Department of State official:
“As we’ve seen around the world in recent years, social media can be a major forum for terrorist sentiment and activity. This will be a vital tool to screen out terrorists, public safety threats, and other dangerous individuals from gaining immigration benefits and setting foot on U.S. soil."
This is also why visa seekers are also asked whether any of their family members have been involved in terrorist activities.
In addition, they can also be asked to provide details about involvement in major international internet services like China's Douban, Tencent QQ and Sina Weibo.
This move is expected to affect some 15 million foreigners who travel to the U.S. each year, some 710,000 immigrant visa applicants, including those who do so for business or education. The only applicants who are exempted from the requirements, are certain diplomatic and official visa types.
“National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveler and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening,” the State Department said. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
In the past, social media, email and phone number histories had only been sought from applicants who were identified needed for extra scrutiny. These people may include those who have traveled to areas controlled by terrorist groups.
Around 65,000 applicants had fallen into that category each year.
This requirement has met controversies.
Back in 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that there was “no evidence that such social media monitoring is effective or fair”, and that the rules would lead to self-censorship online and would be used discriminate against specific groups, such as travelers from Muslim-majority countries.
“The government has failed to disclose how this information - accurate or not - may be shared across government agencies and have consequences for individuals living in America, including U.S. citizens,” it said.
After taking presidency, Donald Trump has constantly pushed for newer and stricter visa policies. This is in line with his promise to crackdown on immigration during his election campaign in 2016.
