(ConservativeHub.com) – When President Joe Biden first took office, he signed a slew of executive orders to follow through on campaign promises. Two such directives fell under the umbrella of immigration as he tried to make the system more “inclusive.” In line with this, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week it was reversing a Trump-era policy to reduce “burdens on refugee and asylee populations.”
In November 2020, President Donald Trump imposed a policy memorandum requiring the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency to conduct interviews with every single person who filed a Refugee or Asylee Relative Petition. Before this, USCIS only had to interview the main refugee. The agency could choose whether or not an interview was necessary for their spouses and children, depending on the background checks and screenings.
However, on Friday, December 10, USCIS announced it was removing the Trump-era memorandum of these mandatory interviews, citing they were inconsistent with Biden’s orders to “restore faith in our legal immigration systems” and be more “inclusive.”
The Washington Times shared its evaluation of the decision:
DHS eases screening for some refugees to save time – https://t.co/8jA6yJePmA
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 15, 2021
USCIS will still interview all principal refugees, but eligible spouses and children may now qualify under “derivate” refugee status without needing to interview. While this may expedite the screening process, could less thorough procedure raise security concerns?
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