Draft US reports call for long-term surveillance of Sunni Muslim immigrants

In a draft January 2018 report obtained by Foreign Policy and produced at the request of US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, the Department of Homeland Security called for continuous vetting of Sunni Muslim immigrants deemed to have "at-risk" profiles.  Based on studying 25 terrorist attacks within the US between 2001 and December 2017, the report also suggested that immigrants to the US should be tracked on a long-term basis. Implementing the recommendations would mean a vast expansion of the Trump administration's existing vetting policies, which extend from would-be entrants to the US to permanent residents. A study released shortly before by DHS and the Justice Department claimed that three out of four of those convicted of international terrorism or terrorism-related offences were immigrants. Both reports have been criticised for serious methodological issues and selecting data to support Trump's immigration policies, and opponents argue the proposals they contain would implement racial profiling while ignoring the biggest threat in the US: white supremacists. The White House has announced an executive order creating a new "National Vetting Center", which appears likely to use vetting criteria based on characteristics that are protected under the Constitution, such as gender, national origin, and religion. International travel itself is defined in the CBP report as suspicious; among the kinds of data that could form the basis of continuous vetting is travel data, which could be expanded to include photographs and other biometrics and additional information airlines and foreign governments collect.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/05/draft-dhs-report-surveillance-of-muslim-immigrants/ continuous vetting
https://papersplease.org/wp/2018/02/06/new-national-vetting-center-will-target-travelers/
https://papersplease.org/wp/2018/02/16/will-continuous-vetting-include-new-demands-for-travel-information/#more-12247
tags: surveillance, immigration, Muslims, racial profiling, vetting, DHS, US, anti-terrorism, CBP
Writer: George Joseph, Edward Hasbrouck
Publication: Foreign Policy, Papers Please