
<p>Under a new Trump administration policy, federal officials are now being instructed to vet immigrants looking to legally live and work in the U.S. for &#8220;anti-American,&#8221; terrorist, or antisemitic views under new guidance. ;</p>



<p>The updated policy, part of President Donald Trump&#8217;s broader immigration clampdown, gives U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers broad discretion to treat such views as &#8220;overwhelmingly negative factors&#8221; when deciding whether to approve green cards, visas, or citizenship. The guidance took effect immediately and applies to both new and pending applications.</p>



<p>&#8220;America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,&#8221; USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said.</p>



<p>He added that USCIS is committed to implementing policies that root out anti-Americanism and strengthen vetting. ;</p>



<p>&#8220;Immigration benefits — including to live and work in the United States — remain a privilege, not a right.&#8221;</p>



<p>While the release offered no clear definition of &#8220;anti-Americanism,&#8221; USCIS referenced the Immigration and Nationality Act, which prohibits people linked to terrorism, antisemitism, or &#8220;world communism&#8221; from gaining citizenship.</p>



<p>It noted that officers, when conducting a discretionary analysis, will weigh whether an applicant’s requests were made in line with existing laws and policies.</p>



<p>The change comes alongside a wave of new ;immigration measures ;in Trump’s second term, including expanded social media vetting and a tougher &#8220;good moral character&#8221; standard for naturalization. ;</p>



<p>USCIS said reviews of anti-American activity will now be folded into social media screenings.</p>



<p>&#8220;The message is that the U.S. and immigration agencies are going to be less tolerant of anti-Americanism or antisemitism when making immigration decisions,&#8221; Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for immigration restrictions, said on Tuesday.</p>



<p>Jacobs said the government is being more explicit in the kind of behaviors and practices officers should consider, but emphasized that discretion is still in place. &#8220;The agency cannot tell officers that they have to deny, just to consider it as a negative discretion,&#8221; she said.</p>



<p>But Ruby Robinson of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center argued constitutional rights apply to all people in the U.S., regardless of status — and predicted legal challenges.</p>



<p>&#8220;A lot of this administration’s activities infringe on constitutional rights and do need to be resolved, ultimately, in courts,&#8221; Robinson added.</p>



<p>Critics like David J. Bier, the director of immigration policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, warned the policy could be wielded to silence dissent and punish political opponents. ;</p>



<p>&#8220;This is a new, powerful weapon in President Trump&#8217;s arsenal against politically disfavored groups,&#8221; Bier told the Washington Post.</p>



<p>Jonathan Grode, managing partner of Green and Spiegel immigration law firm, said the policy fits Trump’s longstanding approach and that the administration is within its authority.</p>



<p>&#8220;This is what was elected. They’re allowed to interpret the rules the way they want,&#8221; Grode told the Washington Post. &#8220;The policy always to them is to shrink the strike zone. The law is still the same.&#8221;</p>

New Trump Policy Will Deny Legal Immigration to Those With “Antisemitic” or “Anti-American” Sentiments
