The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated guidance for immigration considerations, explaining that the agency will expand its review of “anti-American activity.”
“America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is committed to implementing policies and procedures that root out anti-Americanism and supporting the enforcement of rigorous screening and vetting measures to the fullest extent possible,” USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement. “Immigration benefits—including to live and work in the United States—remain a privilege, not a right.”
The agency’s updated policies include “additional guidance in circumstances where an alien has endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused the views of a terrorist organization or group, including aliens who support or promote anti-American ideologies or activities, antisemitic terrorism and antisemitic terrorist organizations, or who promote antisemitic ideologies,” USCIS said.
USCIS also seeks to reimplement a “good moral character” evaluation for those undergoing the naturalization process.
In a memorandum dated August 15, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said “aliens applying for naturalization must demonstrate that he or she has been and continues to be an individual of good moral character (GMC).”
“The regulations and policy affirm that GMC findings must go beyond the absence of disqualifying acts, it must reflect a genuine positive assessment of who the alien is and how they have lived in their community,” the memo read. “Thus, GMC has generally meant a character commensurate with the standards of average citizens of the community in which the alien resides.” Moving forward, however, USCIS offers must “account for an alien’s positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct.”
