"What is anti-Americanism? What are those "ideologies or activities," exactly? And without any meaningful guidance, how is anyone on either side of the immigration process supposed to identify it? Maybe the imprecision is the point. Three weeks on, practitioners tell The Verge that it is almost impossible to figure out how to advise clients on this standard or properly prepare for it."
""The problem that I have been stating is that it's entirely pretextual anyway, that having something be this vague is not a bug, it's not a problem, it's exactly what they're going for. Because if they have it vague, then they can say that somebody can be disqualified for any reason they want," said Pittsburgh-based immigration lawyer Adam S. Greenberg."
In August, US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a three-page policy alert instructing adjudicators to scrutinize applicants who "support or promote anti-American ideologies or activities" and to enforce immigration laws to the maximum, potentially denying benefits. The policy leaves "anti-Americanism" undefined and provides no guidance on what ideologies or activities qualify. Legal practitioners report the vagueness makes advising clients and preparing responses nearly impossible and enables discretionary, pretextual denials. Officials suggested examples such as condemning praise for violence could justify denial. The ambiguity risks chilling speech and prompts self-censorship among visa applicants and immigrants.
Read at The Verge
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