ACLU Comment on Expanded Vetting for Visa Applicants

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration approved a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants that seeks expanded personal information, including social media activities as well as extensive travel, residential, and employment history.

Faiz Shakir, American Civil Liberties Union national political director, had the following reaction:

“The invasive questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants is another front in the Trump administration’s attack on immigrants and communities of color.

“The government has added these questions without clarity as to when or to whom they will apply, which will likely result in discriminatory profiling and inconsistent and ineffective results. The government provides no parameters for social media vetting, raising concerns about the privacy and free speech rights of U.S. citizens and residents. The government provided the public with little to no information and without an adequate opportunity to comment on a vetting practice that will impact people in the United States and around the world.”

ACLU comment submitted to the State Department on the new policy can be found here:
https://www.aclu.org/other/aclu-comment-supplemental-questions-visa-applicants