Heightened Enforcement, Social Media Screenings, and Potential Travel Ban: What Employers and Immigration Advocates Need to Know

Trump Administration Expands Interior Immigration Enforcement: The Trump administration, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, has increased pressure on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent weeks to increase deportations, leading to federal agents aggressively targeting worksites. Many immigration experts say that ICE needs to ramp up worksite enforcement to meet the Trump administration's arrest quotas.

What they're saying:

• Lawyers and immigration advocates also believe that apprehending immigrants on account of their skin color is also leading to the apprehension of American citizens.
  

• In a recent video circulating online, Border Patrol agents are seen questioning Brian Gavidia, a US citizen, while pushing him up against a metal gate. Gavidia claims he was questioned because of "the way he looks." Javier Ramirez, also a US citizen, was arrested and detained at a federal detention center after ICE agents claimed he looked suspicious to them and questioned him about his citizenship status.
  

• President Trump is defending ICE actions, saying, "ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History."
  

• When asked about the alleged racial profiling, a White House spokesperson said the questions were "shameful regurgitations of Democrat propaganda by activists, not journalists."
  

State Department Requires Social Media Screenings of Foreign Students: The State Department announced it would restart processing foreign students' visa applications.

• The department explained that it had instructed consular officers to screen student visa applicants' social media presence to look for "any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States."
  

• Embassies were also instructed to flag "advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security" and "support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence." Support for the militant group Hamas was listed as an example.
  

• The cable also directed embassies to flag applicants with a history of political activism and should "consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States."
  

• Foreign nationals applying for student and exchange visitor visas will also be asked to make their profiles public, and failure to do so would be considered a red flag.
  

Possible Expansion of Travel Ban: The administration indicated it is also reportedly considering banning entry from an additional 36 countries, 25 of which are in Africa.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has given countries 60 days to respond to US security requirements.

• Rubio said he is concerned about allowing entry from countries with "widespread government fraud," "no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents," or having a large number of US visa overstays.
  

• Rubio said he is also concerned about claims of "antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States" by citizens from those countries.
  

• Rubio explained that countries could be exempted from the ban if they are willing to accept third-country nationals or enter into a "safe third country" agreement with the US.
  

It is unclear when the proposed travel restrictions will be enforced if the countries are found not to have met the benchmarks.