AoSHQ | It’s hard to connect the dots when you refuse to acknowledge the dots exist.
Fearing a civil liberties backlash and “bad public relations” for the Obama administration, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson refused in early 2014 to end a secret U.S. policy that prohibited immigration officials from reviewing the social media messages of all foreign citizens applying for U.S. visas, a former senior department official said.“During that time period immigration officials were not allowed to use or review social media as part of the screening process,” John Cohen, a former acting under-secretary at DHS for intelligence and analysis. Cohen is now a national security consultant for ABC News.
But we can collect all sorts of information about American citizens without a warrant. Oh and don’t worry, the same people who worry more about “optics” and sensitivity to foreigners are going to be able to screen out any danger presented by Syrian refugees.
