On Monday, the US announced a lift of the ban on immigrant refugees from 11 nations, but said that there would still be much stronger scrutiny than before of those wishing to come into the country. Applicants from 11 nations, including North Korea and several Muslim majority countries, will have to undergo tougher assessments to be allowed into the US.
Kirstjen Nielsen, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said it is vital that the government of the US knows precisely who is entering the country and that the new security measures will make exploitation of the immigrant refugee program more difficult by ensuring the US is protected by a more risk-based approach.
11 nations, which have not been formally identified, were hit with a ban by the revised refugee policy of the Trump administration in October 2017, with immigrant groups claiming that the countries are Egypt, Iraq, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, Libya, South Sudan, Syria, and North Korea. An anonymous senior administration official told journalists that the enhanced security assessments were nothing to do with religious beliefs.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet given any details on the exact nature of the more stringent vetting measures. Already, applicants are being asked for more detailed personal histories and proof of their former activities, with many needing to give access to social media accounts and personal electronics.