The Department of Homeland Security has proposed adding a line to forms that visitors to the United States fill out requesting them to voluntarily disclose their social media accounts. This is part of the debate over the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizen of some countries to visit for up to 90 days without having to get a visa. After the string of attacks Americans have seen here at home and overseas, it’s no wonder screening and vetting the people coming to our county is now a top priority.
But is this too little too late? Representative Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) called the proposal “lame.”
“What terrorist is going to give our government permission to see their radical jihadist rants on social media?” Buchanan said. “The only people who will share that information are those with nothing to hide.”
I have to agree. We’re expecting people to voluntarily put their social media information on these forms? Sure, if they’re coming to the U.S. for a selfie in front of Mount Rushmore, they’ll probably comply. But the people who have been working with ISIS, who come to the United State to carry out some maniacal plan to murder as many people as possible, will probably not be so forthcoming.
What’s truly astonishing is the fact that this is just now a proposal we’re seeing. Facebook has been around since 2004. Since the middle of 2015, Twitter has suspended over 125,000 accounts linked with terrorism.
Shouldn’t the federal government, not private companies, be stopping terrorists? I love the idea of getting all hands on deck, but thus far, the federal government hasn’t really been doing their part.
Even when private citizens alert the federal government about something, they often just ignore it.
Most of my friends wouldn’t agree to meet somebody for coffee until they’ve thoroughly checked all of their social media accounts, found their Myspace page from middle school, and read their college senior thesis online. That is the kind of dedication we should be seeing from immigration officers, whose job it is to ensure those coming to the U.S. are not threats to safety.
5 Comments
Duh…..
As one who used to do some of the U.S. Government applicant vetting, I can testify that we can barely competently vet native-born Americans — much less foreigners.
We will in time reap the whirlwind.
Yes, making the disclosure of applicants’ social media accounts ‘voluntary,’ is pretty lame. However, at this time DHS probably has few alternatives, unless Congress makes a law requiring DHS to gather it;. Government agencies are prohibited from requiring any information from an applicant that is not legally required.
La Raza president Janet Murguia has announced that Trump would not be invited to speak at their annual conference in Orlando next month. She blamed “vilification” of Latinos and “acts of violence at Trump rallies”. The fact is the violence has come from the other side. In San Jose last month Trump supporters were beaten and bloodied by protestors carrying Mexican flags while the cops stood by and did nothing.
All the disruptions are carried out by the other side. Even at Hillary and Sanders rallies, it was done by other leftists. There were three incidents in California since March where those at Trump rallies or others who had a legal permit to demonstrate were attacked by counter protestors and the cops who were there did nothing to keep them from doing so, which they had an obligation to do.
LOL Leland
When some air head open border Dems were asked who was responsible for the 50 shot in terror attacks in Orlando…..some of the NYC folks stated, “Republicans”…..
I’m not JOKING!
If its because of violence at Trump rallies shouldn’t they ban those responsible, the Democrats? They blame and ban the victim. Who needs La Raza, the KKK style, hate, racist, bigot group anyways? Guess these groups don’t realize they are the Lefts domestic hate groups, just like the KKK was. Those so don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Hope they enjoy being the useful idiots Hitler called groups like that who are willing to be used like this.