How the Trump administration is expanding its immigration crackdown to people entering legally

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has trained much of its immigration crackdown on individuals who entered the United States illegally from Mexico and elsewhere, but it is intensifying another battle, this time with residents who come legally.

What happened

Notably, the State Department has paused all immigrant visa applications while it briefs consular authorities worldwide on a new policy that seeks to keep out individuals who are considered potential drains on public coffers.

In practice, the administration is additionally preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200, 000 foreigners who applied for asylum. It the Associated Press first noted this week. It would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. History and would probable face legal challenges.

"The thing linking them is a general philosophy that immigration is bad for the United States and that the Trump administration is looking for all of the ways it can to button down our immigration system to allow in fewer people, " remarked Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. Immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute.

The bottom line

In short, how the Trump administration is expanding its immigration crackdown to people entering is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.