'Stupid': Trump admin's 'short-sighted' new immigration plan sparks backlash
President Donald Trump's latest immigration policy received sharp criticism on Thursday.
The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration is reviewing 55 million visa applications for "potential revocation or deportable violations of immigration rules." The U.S. State Department told the outlet that people in the country on visas are under "continuous vetting" to ensure their eligibility.
"Officials say the reviews will include all the visa holders’ social media accounts, law enforcement and immigration records in their home countries, along with any actionable violations of U.S. law committed while they were in the United States," the report states.
The State Department defended the actions in a statement to the AP.
"We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance, indicating a potential ineligibility," the State Department said in a statement.
Several analysts expressed their frustrations on social media.
"These are Americans’ parents, siblings & spouses," Brett Bruen, global engagement director in the Obama administration, wrote on X. "This world-class talent that gives American companies a competitive edge. These are doctors, nurses and cancer researchers. This is, in short, incredibly insensitive, short-sighted & stupid."
"They do not have the personnel to do this," lawyer Allison Norris, legal director at the UMD Safe Center, wrote on X.
"They will just use Palantir (which is doing a horrible job with USCIS' AI by the way) and cause a headache," Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown wrote on X.
"Strong traffic-ticket-quota vibe," journalist Michael McGough wrote on X.