The North American Government of Donald Trump has issued new guidelines for the granting of a residence card, which – still undisclosed – could deny residence to those who have participated in acts considered pro-Palestinian, anti-Semitic or burning the country’s flag, according to The New York Times.
The rules are in internal training materials of the Department of Homeland Security, which instructs employees to consider, in the application for permanent residence or “green card” of immigrants, the expression of their political opinions, notes tonight the Timeswho accessed the documents.
Under those guidelines, Homeland Security officials must refer all cases involving “possible anti-American and/or anti-Semitic behavior or ideologies” to their superiors and the office of the agency’s general counsel for review, the newspaper notes.
Even if the immigrant has not violated the law, under these new rules, expressing their views will be considered “endorsing, promoting or supporting anti-American opinions” or “terrorism, anti-Semitic ideologies or groups,” and they will be denied residency and thus their access to citizenship, the newspaper reported.
Immigration agents have been told to rate those factors as “overwhelmingly negative,” according to the Times, which notes that the documents cite support for “subversive” ideologies as one of the factors that could lead to rejection of an application.
It also includes what the Administration considers anti-Semitism “through rhetorical or physical actions” and asks officials to particularly focus “on foreigners who engaged in anti-American and anti-Semitic activities on university campuses” after the Hamas attacks against Israel in 2023, as analyzed by the newspaper.
Burning the American flag is another reason to deny the “green card” application, although the Supreme Court ruled that it is an act protected by freedom of expression.
In August of last year, Trump signed an executive order in order to punish the burning of the national insignia.
A “fundamental” pillar
The New York Immigration Coalition claimed, after hearing the news, that freedom of expression is a “fundamental” pillar of democracy and is enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their place of birth.
The coalition’s president, Murad Awawdeh, warned that Trump “is taking a dangerous step toward punishing immigrants for the public expression of their beliefs,” something he considered part of his Administration’s broader deportation agenda.
“The Trump Administration’s new policy effectively censors people and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the rights of all Americans,” Awawdeh said.
