Page 9 - Pilot Programs News Today

Homeland security people, state department witnesses what are they saying in their defense? reporter: this mornings hearing includes director of immigration and citizenship services. confirming that two of the three pilot programs on social media begun last year and now concluded and director rodriguez said social media has been used in limited case. >> any thought that the department of homeland security had simply foregone the use of social media for purposes of immigration screening is mistak...

They could go above and beyond and theres three pilot programs started in the last year to experiment with it. if youre asking does this customs official did. >> i have a checked box. >> no, i dont have a check list for social media. >> i was excited about the story. if that memo that you obtained, if that had become policy and practice, would there have been a you must check this box? >> what it would have done, according to how it was written and our officials, some anonymous who have spoken t...

War. meaning there is a popular consensus for that. but i do want him to say something with more specificity rather than the same old same old. >> i want to listen to a little testimony on capitol hill, about isis attempting to enter the u.s. through refugee programs, last year nearly 120 syrian nationals overstayed and some are now subject to federal inquiries. take a listen. >> we got millions of people that are out there that want to come into this country. and were doing a very small bit. if...

Theyll also protect u.s. residents and americans who are vetted. the question is do you want to set up something more complicated thats more invasive for people abroad than in the u.s. a lot of them say it sounds like common sense. this goes to how to government works and doesnt work. a lot of times we hear about ideology and politics. our reporting doesnt reflect theres an idea logical wall doing this but a bureaucratic wall. they were upset and saying weve been pushing this for years. i also g...

Its not routine, its not widespread. >> its not comforting. >> but it is also incomprehensible. the idea were starting up a couple of pilot programs on what the american people understand, and is so obvious to do. you simply give a directive that where you think its appropriate, you allow any immigration officer to investigate. the postings on you know, public media. the argument against it, which apparently prevailed a few years ago, within dhs is ridiculous. number one, it is that we dont want...

I will say at the level of the obama administration theyve been defensive on the issues. >> coming out today and saying were looking at fixing it and every aspect, do you have a sense of what theyre looking at and can change? >> what they seem to be suggesting with the pilot programs and with some of this they want to at least find a way to incorporate social media to priority reviews, so basically to people for sub si tif reasons are a higher priority because they may be related to a threat lev...

This program. it was ultimately not adopted. >> let me stop you there. youre telling us not only did the administration say no to this proposal to review social media accounts but they actually enacted firewalls to prevent people from taking a look at an applicants social media page, facebook pages, twitter accounts. >> they existed to keep people from goofing off on the job. fine, maybe for some but we had folks that prevented this type of review. i called and spoke to marsha there and she said...

And they say they have three pilot programs within the last year to try to figure out how to do this. but the headline is that at least some people within the dhs as far back as 2010 were trying to make these changes and tell us and the documents suggest they were frozen out of doing that. that was not successful and years later now the countrys assessing whether there are ways to bolster this and do something many employers do which is make social media review a part of the process. >> malcolm,...

A number of lawmakers are talking about legislation that would make it mandatory for immigration agents to review a foreign applicants social media activity with the white house emphasizing today that the homeland security department has started three pilot programs to incorporate social media reviews in the last year. >> theyve acknowledged part of that review is to consider ways to incorporate the use of social media vetting in their screening programs. not sure why any specific legislation wo...

Only take the pizza? >> i dont like the stick. >> oh you mean money? >> cut the middle man. >> you are ordering from pizza hut? >> this is disturbing. >> i hate to fact check you on this, but sadly his facebook page is not all bough key me pages of -- bikini pictures. >> sorry about that. >> tom, you mentioned that homeland security now has i think three pilot programs aimed at checking the social media? why do we need a program? just check their social media. >> i dont know what the pilot is. >...