|
Most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants - about 14.7
million people - will be asked to list on a federal application
form all of the social media identities that they have used in
the past five years - information that will be used to vet and
identify them, according to the proposals.
The State Department will publish the proposals in a notice in
the Federal Register on Friday seeking approval from the Office
of Management and Budget. The public has 60 days to comment on
the requests.
The proposals support President Donald Trump's campaign pledge
in 2016 to crack down on illegal immigration for security
reasons and his call for "extreme vetting" of foreigners
entering the United States.
The department said it intends not to routinely ask most
diplomatic and official visa applicants for the social media
information.
If approved, applicants also will be required to submit five
years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses and
their international travel history. They will be asked if they
have been deported or removed from any country and whether
family members have been involved in terrorist activities, the
department said.
Courts have struck down the first two versions of Trump's travel
ban and the current one is narrower in scope than its
predecessors. The Supreme Court will consider its legality this
spring and a decision is expected in June.
(Editing by Bill Trott)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
