A plan by President Donald Trump’s administration to “extreme vet’ foreign refugees entering the U.S. in the hundreds every week could include an ideological test.
The Trump Administration is looking at a number of ways to vet foreigners entering the U.S. through a more rigorous, extensive process that would include asking whether or not an individual has the same values as American citizens, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Officials working on the vetting process also said foreigners could be asked to disclose their social media passwords, past financial records and cell phone data–coupled with questions on ideology.
Director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) Mark Krikorian told Breitbart Texas that he thinks the ideology-based vetting process being considered is “necessary.”
“The idea is that we shouldn’t just screen people who may commit violence against us, but that we should also be keeping out people who hate our values,” Krikorian said in an interview. “Especially for immigrants, people who are going to be here. It’s less important for foreign tourists. But, we should try to keep people out from our society who hate us.”
Krikorian said that unlike Trump’s twice shot-down executive order which halted travel flow into the U.S. from specific countries, the vetting process would need to apply to all newcomers.
“It can’t be country-specific, because you could have people who hate our values coming from any country,” Krikorian said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Trump’s promise of extreme vetting remained important, predominantly as a national security issue.
“If there is any doubt about a person’s intentions coming to the United States, they should have to overcome—really and truly prove to our satisfaction—that they are coming for legitimate reasons,” Senior Counselor to Secretary John Kelly, Gene Hamilton told the Wall Street Journal.
Most recently, Breitbart News reported how the State Department is increasing the number of refugees that are admitted into the U.S., pushing that figure to about 900 per week.
Refugee resettlement expert Ann Corcoran told Breitbart Texas that major reforms to the refugee program are imperative under the Trump Administration.
“This is our only opportunity right now to reform the refugee program,” Corcoran said in an interview. “If it doesn’t happen now, it will never be reformed.”
Corcoran says an executive order to slow the flow of refugees being resettled from primarily Islam-majority nations is not necessary, telling Breitbart Texas that Trump “has enormous power over this issue.”
“I am particularly concerned that the Trump Administration doesn’t understand the program,” Corcoran said. “And I’m afraid they’re being rolled by the bureaucrats.”
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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