A civil liberties organization wants the government to explain how it evaluates people’s speech and beliefs when deciding on immigration requests, according to a federal lawsuit.
The Knight First Amendment Institute says in a suit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Federal Court that the public has an “urgent need” to know about vetting policies after President Trump ordered in January that “those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles.”
Knight’s request was also prompted by the U.S. State Department’s recent decision to use a questionnaire requesting that some visa applicants reveal their social media handles, court papers state.
The Knight institute, which is based at Columbia University, made public records requests on Aug. 7 for info on any new vetting policies, including the “government’s understanding of its authority to base immigration decisions on individuals’ speech, beliefs, or associations.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sept. 29 released one document in response the request, the group said.
Knight’s suit seeks the court’s help to make sure officials fully respond to its records requests.
The institute is suing the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Justice and Department of State.
The Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment on the suit.
The other agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
