Ideological Screening at the Border
Documents released in our FOIA lawsuit for records on the "extreme vetting" program
This Reading Room contains all of the documents produced to date in Knight Institute v. DHS, a FOIA lawsuit the Knight Institute filed on October 4, 2017, seeking records on how the Trump administration is implementing the president’s call for an “extreme vetting program."
Our FOIA lawsuit sought records from the agencies charged with developing the program: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of State (DOS). We requested documents concerning the program and the government’s asserted power to exclude individuals on the basis of their speech, beliefs, or associations.
In response, the agencies released over 300 documents, many heavily redacted, and hardly any referencing the extreme vetting program itself.
How to use this Reading Room: The collection below can be searched by keyword, or filtered using the criteria in the left-hand column. In addition, any search can be filtered for “Key Documents,” which are the documents that Knight Institute staff have flagged as the most significant disclosed.
Showing 241–250 of 341
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DOS Memo: Secondary List of Individual Recommenced for Visa Ineligibility
Memorandum containing a list of names proposed for visa restrictions.
6/28/2018
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Letters from DOS to the S. Comm. on Foreign Rels., H. Comm. on Foreign Affs., S. Comm. on the Judiciary re: Report of Visa Denial
Letters disclosing to members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees and the House Foreign Affairs Committee an invocation of the INA's foreign policy provision.
6/28/2018
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ICE Memo: Defining the Scope of "Spouse" and "Child" for Purposes of INA § 212
Memorandum discussing the scope of the terms "spouse" and "child" under the application of INA § 212.
6/29/2018
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Letters from DOS to the S. Comm. on Foreign Rels., H. Comm. on Foreign Affs., S. Comm. on the Judiciary, H. Comm. on the Judiciary re: Report of Visa Denial
Letters disclosing to members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees and the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees an invocation of the INA's foreign policy provision, apparently in relation to family members of Syrian regime officials.
6/28/2018
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DHS Memo: Implementing the President's Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements Policies
Memorandum implementing the Executive Order entitled "Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements" issued by the President on January 25, 2017, which establishes the President's policy regarding effective border security and immigration enforcement. It implements new policies designed to stem illegal immigration and facilitate the detection, apprehension, detention, and removal of aliens.
9/28/2017
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Letters from DOS to the S. Comm. on Foreign Rels., H. Comm. on Foreign Affs., S. Comm. on the Judiciary, H. Comm. on the Judiciary re: Report of Visa Denial
Letters disclosing to members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees and the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees an invocation of the INA's foreign policy provision.
6/28/2018
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DOS Memo: Legislative Options to Address [redacted]
Memorandum discussing potential legislation to exempt members of an unnamed group from the INA's Terrorism-Related Inadmissibility Grounds provision, almost entirely withheld.
11/9/2018
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DOS Memo: Secondary List of Individual Recommenced for Visa Ineligibility
Memorandum containing a list of names proposed for visa restrictions.
11/9/2018
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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Visa Restrictions
Memorandum discussing the implementation of visa policies connected with the conflict in Yemen, noting the need to rely on the INA's foreign policy provision in denying visas to immediate family members on the basis of association alone.
2/26/2019
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DOS Memo: Exercise Authority Under Section 212(d)(3)(B)(i) for the Immigration and Nationality Act
Memorandum summarizing the parameters and limits of exemptions to the INA's Terrorism-Related Inadmissibility Grounds provision.
11/9/2018