Trump ramps up vetting of foreign workers to combat Biden's lax policies

The Trump administration is taking measures to reduce the flood of inadequately vetted foreign labor entering the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security introduced an interim final rule, effective Thursday, that ends the automatic extension of employment authorization for many foreign nationals.

'All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right.'

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that the move aims to prioritize "the proper screening and vetting of aliens before extending the validity of their employment authorizations."

Foreign nationals who file for employment authorization renewals on or after Thursday will not receive an automatic extension.

USCIS contended that the change will allow for "more frequent vetting" and enable it "to deter fraud and detect aliens with potentially harmful intent" for potential removal.

The final rule notes that it aligns with President Donald Trump's executive orders "Protecting the American People Against Invasion" and "Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats."

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Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Ending the practice of providing automatic extension of employment authorization documents enhances benefit integrity in adjudications of work authorization requests and will better protect public safety and national security by ensuring that aliens are properly vetted and determined to continue to be eligible, and when applicable, merit a favorable exercise of discretion, for employment authorization before such authorization is provided to the alien," the interim final rule reads.

The new regulation does not apply to those with Temporary Protected Status, as those authorizations are governed separately.

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"USCIS is placing a renewed emphasis on robust alien screening and vetting, eliminating policies the former administration implemented that prioritized aliens' convenience ahead of Americans' safety and security," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated.

"It's a commonsense measure to ensure appropriate vetting and screening has been completed before an alien's employment authorization or documentation is extended," Edlow continued. "All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right."

Center for Immigration Studies stated that the new regulation may allow the administration "to more quickly enforce immigration laws, particularly with regard to those who entered the United States illegally but were given work permits."

The interim final rule repeals a Biden administration regulation, issued in December, that increased the automatic extension period for some applicants from 180 days to 540 days from the expiration date, CIS reported.

"The Biden administration facilitated an invasion of our southern border and abused its parole, asylum, and work authorization authorities. President Trump has a mandate from the American people to stop the invasion and bring common sense back to America's legal immigration system. Since taking office, President Trump and Secretary Noem have rescinded parole for almost half a million illegal aliens, implemented a new parole fee, and ended decades-long Temporary Protected Status. Now, we are focusing on those who have no right to work here," a USCIS spokesperson told Blaze News.

"Biden's automatic extension of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) for aliens posed a security risk that allowed bad actors to continue to work in this country," the spokesperson continued. "The Trump administration's interim final rule will ensure that aliens will be properly vetted and screened before USCIS extends their work authorization."

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