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 321–330 of 341
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DOS Memo: Implementation of Rwandan Official Visa Restrictions
Memorandum discussing the implementation of a policy to estrict issuance of visas to current and former Rwandan military officials indicted in 2008 by a Spanish court for war crimes and related offenses
6/28/2018
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DOS Memo: Previously Approved Policies to Scrutinize and Generally Deny Visas
Memorandum summarizing past policies of denying visas to classes of individuals under the INA's foreign policy provision.
6/28/2018
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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, which is almost entirely withheld.
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.
6/28/2018
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DOS Memo: Additional Background on Lifting Restrictions on Certain Hondurans Associated with the 2009 De Facto Regime
Memorandum providing further background on a policy to lift visa restrictions on individuals associated with the 2009 coup in Honduras.
6/28/2018
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ICE Memo: ICE Implementation Plan for Executive Orders
Draft memorandum discussing the implementation of Executive Orders entitled “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements” and “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” issued by the President on January 25, 2017. The memorandum is withheld in full.
9/28/2017
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Letters from DOS to the S. Comm. on Foreign Rels. & S. Comm. on the Judiciary re: Report of Visa Denial
Letters disclosing to the chairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee 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: Primary List of Individuals Recommended for Visa Ineligibility
Memorandum containing a list of names proposed for visa restrictions, almost entirely withheld.
6/28/2018
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DOS Memo: List of Human Rights Violators' Family Members
Memorandum listing individuals subject to visa policy against Venezuelan officials, almost entirely withheld.
6/28/2018
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DOS Memo: List of Kleptocrats' Family Members
Memorandum listing individuals subject to visa policy against Venezuelan officials, almost entirely withheld.
6/28/2018