Administration Announces Exemptions to Broad Terrorism Policies

Earlier this week, discretionary exemptions from the terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG) were issued by Secretary Jeh Johnson of the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary John Kerry of the State Department. HIAS applauded these exemptions, which are a step towards fairness after legislation enacted by Congress in 2001 significantly broadened the definition of “terrorist activity” to encompass some activities that had no real-life connection to terrorism. The exemptions are likely to remove legal obstacles for some particularly vulnerable Syrian refugees, including women and children, as well as persons previously granted asylum or refugee status whose later applications for permanent residency or family reunification have been held up for years, however this will not completely resolve the problem. Learn more about how broad terrorism policies unfairly target victims by reading recent articles in The Hill and the New York Times.