The Trump administration has issued new guidelines that allow immigration officials to deny green card applications based on an applicant’s political opinions.
Internal Department of Homeland Security documents revealed that applications that have criticized Israel or have any connection with pro-Palestinian protests may be rejected.
As reported by The New York Times, the training materials that US Citizenship and Immigration Services officials received last month instructed officials to treat “anti-American” and “anti-Semitic” views as “overwhelmingly negative” factors while evaluating applications for permanent residency.
Among the notable examples was a social media post declaring “Stop Israeli terror in Palestine.”
The images, such as the crossed out flag of Israel or a map of Israel replaced with the word “Palestine”, were also added.
Immigration officials will flag all such cases of “behavior or ideology” to managers and the agency’s general counsel for detailed assessment.
Other significant negative factors include flag discretion and holding signs advocating the overthrow of the US government. However, the US Supreme Court ruling describes flag burning as “protected speech” under the First Amendment.
Under the updated guidelines, individuals directly or indirectly engaged in “on-campus anti-American and anti-Semitic activities” after October 7, 2023, will face application scrutiny.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow defended the new directions as “There is no place in America for foreigners who espouse anti-American ideologies.”
