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 271–280 of 341
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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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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Guinea Visa Restrictions
Memorandum discussing the implementation of a policy restricting issuance of visas to "persons who promote the rule of the military junta in Guinea," 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: List of Individuals Recommended for Visa Ineligibility
Memorandum containing a list of Venezuelan officials proposed for visa restrictions, which is almost entirely withheld.
11/9/2018
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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Burundian Visa Restrictions
Memorandum discussing the implementation visa restrictions against Burundian officials, 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.
6/28/2018
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ICE Memo: ICE ability to use 212(a)(3)(C) Foreign Policy Charge
Memorandum containing opinions, analysis, guidance and legal advice provided by attorneys in the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), regarding INA § 212(a)(3)(C).
6/29/2018
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DOS Memo: Primary List of Individuals Recommended for Visa Ineligibility
Memorandum containing a list of names proposed for visa restrictions, almost entirely withheld.
11/9/2018
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DOS Memo: Policy Justification for Exemption of Certain Aliens Affiliated with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)
Memorandum justifying a Terrorism-Related Inadmissibility Grounds exemption for the Kosovo Liberation Army, almost entirely withheld.
11/9/2018
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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Visa Restrictions on Individuals Responsible for or Complicit in Human Rights Abuses in Syria
Memorandum discussing visa policy for Syrian government officials responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses.
2/26/2019
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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Visa Restrictions on Syrian Arab Republic Government Officials
Memorandum discussing the implementation of visa restrictions against Syrian officials.
2/26/2019
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DOS Memo: Implementation Guidelines for Venezuelan Visa Restrictions
Memorandum discussing tightened visa restrictions on Venezuelan officials, 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.
6/28/2018