President Donald Trump today directed his administration to find ways to limit the number of foreigners who overstay short-term visas amid a broad push to curb immigration, THE HILL reports.
In a presidential memorandum, Trump ordered the State Department to work with governments of countries with total overstay rates of more than 10 percent in order to reduce the number.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security (DHS), is required to submit a report within three months that recommends policies that would slash the number of people who stay in the U.S. after their visa expires. DHS is expected to hand in its own recommendations a month after that.
The memo stops short of making specific changes, but it comes as the administration is reportedly considering new travel restrictions on countries with high overstay rates. The crackdown would primarily affect African nations such as Nigeria, Somalia, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Liberia, Eritrea, and Sierra Leone, among others.
Under the proposed change, business and tourism visas could be shortened or limited for countries who do not lower the number of their nationals who overstay U.S. visas.
The White House said in a statement the effort is designed to “find effective ways to combat the rampant number of overstays,” which it says “is undermining the rule of law and straining resources that are needed to address the crisis at our southern border.”
The announcement shows the Trump administration is seeking to impose tougher rules around legal immigration, in addition to the president’s core focus on stopping illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Read more at THE HILL.
{Matzav.com}
