Obama Policy Prevents Immigration Officials From Looking At Social Media Of Applicants, Including Islamic Terrorists

It's hard to connect the dots when you refuse to acknowledge the dots exist.

Fearing a civil liberties backlash and "bad public relations" for the Obama administration, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson refused in early 2014 to end a secret U.S. policy that prohibited immigration officials from reviewing the social media messages of all foreign citizens applying for U.S. visas, a former senior department official said.

"During that time period immigration officials were not allowed to use or review social media as part of the screening process," John Cohen, a former acting under-secretary at DHS for intelligence and analysis. Cohen is now a national security consultant for ABC News.

But we can collect all sorts of information about American citizens without a warrant. Oh and don't worry, the same people who worry more about "optics" and sensitivity to foreigners are going to be able to screen out any danger presented by Syrian refugees.

This is a problem I have with the "we have to let everyone in, it's "who we are"" crowd. The burden is always placed on America...we must put up with government intrusions, we must watch what we say in order to never offend, we must take the risk of the occasional terror attack, we must...we must...we must. Not only that, we get lectured about how we have to be kept in check and considered guilty as a group for a backlash that never materializes.

We've some how perverted our views to the point where we, the citizens of the United States, have to prove our worthiness to live in the company of those who wish to come here. It's insanity and it's contributing to opposition to sustaining the current levels of immigration.

The burden to prove the value of letting people move here needs to be on the immigrants and their supporters here. Not the other way around.

posted by DrewM. at 11:28 AM

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