Ken Cuccinelli Wants The Power To Reveal The Personal Information Of Refugees And Asylees Who Are Accused Of Crimes

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Publish Date:
September 20, 2019
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BuzzFeed News
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Summary

Ken Cuccinelli, the hardline acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, is seeking a new power — to unilaterally publicize personal information about asylees, refugees, and their family members in the US who are being prosecuted for certain crimes, according to a memorandum obtained by BuzzFeed News.

Currently, only the DHS secretary has the ability to disclose this type of information on a discretionary basis to the media. Though federal regulations and DHS policy currently prohibit USCIS officials from making these disclosures, Cuccinelli wants the ability to do so.

“It’s hard to imagine a scenario where somebody’s asylum or refugee status would be relevant in a bail proceeding,” said Michael Romano, a lecturer at Stanford Law School who teaches criminal justice policy. “The primary consideration of bail proceedings is the threat to public safety and obviously local officials are in the best position to evaluate that.”

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