DHS/IMMIGRATION/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration will allow refugee admissions to the U.S. to resume for all countries but with new rules meant to better vet applicants, administration officials and others familiar with the planning said.
The White House plans to announce the resumption of admissions and at least some of the new rules on Tuesday [10-24-17], officials said. Refugee admissions had generally been halted in June, with some exceptions.
Under the new rules, the administration will collect more biographical data, such as names of family members and places of employment, officials said. The administration will also do more to mine social media posts to see, for instance, if refugees’ public pronouncements are consistent with the stories they offer in their applications, the officials said.
In addition, officials who do the screening at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, will be given new guidance and better training aimed at detecting fraud on the part of applicants, one person said.
The refugee program was put on hold in June for 120 days as part of the larger travel ban ordered by President Donald Trump designed to thwart potential terrorists. That period expires on Tuesday.”
-Laura Meckler and Shane Harris, “U.S. to Allow Refugees From All Countries but With New Rules,” The Wall Street Journal online, Oct. 24, 2017 05:34am