A 2011 Department of Homeland Security memo released on Thursday revealed that the Obama Administration rejected a proposal to investigate social media profiles of visa applicants.
The memo states that publicly-viewable social media profiles are a potentially useful avenue of investigation to verify claims made by visa applicants. Officer of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are advised to review social media accounts to combat “fraud,” “criminal activity,” and “national security concerns.”
A former senior DHS official provided MSNBC with the memo, in which it is stated that both DHS and USCIS block employee access to certain internet sites – particularly social networking sites – ostensibly to reduce staffers from “goofing off” on the job.
The memo recommends that certain DHS and USCIS employees be granted access to social media sites normally blocked at work sites for the purposes of vetting visa applications and petitions.
The memo was under consideration for a year, going through “layers of reviews,” before being ultimately dismissed.
Responding to MSNBC, DHS’s Press Secretary said, “The Department is actively considering additional ways to incorporate the use of social media review.”
Asked to provide the best argument in defense of this reckless policy, MSNBC’s Ari Melber relayed “concerns about privacy” and “civil liberties” he had heard from people involved with the policy-making process. Later, Melber acknowledged that Fourth Amendment protections do not apply to non-residents seeking entry into the U.S.
Integrating reviews of social media as part of the vetting process for foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. has received focus in recent weeks following revelations that the Islamic terrorists of the San Bernardino attack discussed “violent jihad and martyrdom” on these platforms.
H/T Jason Howerton at The Blaze