The Trump administration is considering a new policy that would require applicants for Green Cards, citizenship, and refugee status to provide information about their social media accounts. This proposal was published in the Federal Register of USCIS, stating that the measure is necessary for thorough verification of individuals applying for immigration benefits.
USCIS has stated that this initiative is in line with Trump’s Executive Order “On the Protection of the United States from foreign terrorists and other threats to national security,” which aims to increase control over foreigners entering or residing in the USA. The agency will request applicants for various immigration benefits, including Green Cards, naturalization, asylum, and refugee status, to provide a list of their social media accounts, affecting over 3.5 million people.
Kathleen Bush-Joseph, an analyst at the Institute of Migration Policy, views this policy as an attempt to modernize the immigration system. However, critics argue that it is a way to further restrict immigration, in addition to other measures taken by the administration, such as suspending refugee resettlement programs and canceling temporary protected status for citizens of certain countries.
Immigration rights activists are concerned that this new policy will turn digital platforms into surveillance tools for immigrants. Beatrice Lopez, the executive director of Catalyze/Citizens group, believes that this measure forces migrants to monitor everything they say online to avoid jeopardizing their future in the US and raises fears that similar measures could target American citizens critical of the administration.
The USCIS policy goes beyond the State Department’s 2019 measure, which requires visa applicants to provide their social media history for the past five years. Unlike the State Department’s policy, USCIS’s new rule will apply to those already in the country, further tightening control over immigrants and potentially impacting a wider range of individuals.