Donald Trump to Order National Vetting Center for Immigrants and Foreign Travelers

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer guards a group of 116 Salvadorean imm
Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump will sign a memo on Tuesday ordering the creation of a national vetting center for travelers and immigrants to the United States.

The signing event is expected to take place on Tuesday afternoon at the Oval Office.

CNN cites sources from the National Security Council who say the vetting center will draw from existing resources in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), State Department, Justice Department, and intelligence agencies to coordinate the vetting of immigrants and travelers.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that the vetting center would be led by the Department of Homeland Security for the sake of improving the vetting process across the law enforcement and intelligence community.

The statement read:

The NVC will better coordinate these activities in a central location, enabling officials to further leverage critical intelligence and law enforcement information to identify terrorists, criminals, and other nefarious actors trying to enter and remain within our country. The NVC’s operations will adhere to America’s strong protections for individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. The Administration’s top priority is the safety and security of the public, and the NVC will empower our frontline defenders to better fulfil that obligation.

The president spoke frequently during the campaign about implementing a program for “extreme vetting” of refugees, visa applicants, immigrants, and foreign travelers to the United States.

“Those who do not believe in our Constitution, or who support bigotry and hatred, will not be admitted for immigration into the country,” Trump said in August 2016 at a campaign event. “Only those who we expect to flourish in our country — and to embrace a tolerant American society — should be issued immigrant visas.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.