McCARRAN – WALTER ACT
R. A. Schultz
The law lately frequently erroneously referred to as one specifically barring Muslims from entering the United States is the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, also known as the McCarran–Walter Act. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, it has been amended many times over the years but is still the basic body of U. S. immigration law.
Chapter 2 Section 212 of the Act excludes as ineligible for admission the following persons:
In general any alien who a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, seeks to enter the United States to engage solely, principally, or incidentally in any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means.
That law, originally aimed at communists, could be used now to exclude persons (both Muslims and non-Muslims) who have demonstrated an affiliation or sympathy with violent extremist groups professing Islamist motivations and goals (e.g., ISIS, al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram) from entering the United States. Indeed, the violent actions of some members of the various “caravans” traveling to our southern border from Central America might also be considered as coming under the purview of this law.
Why this law hasn’t been used as it should be is yet another question for our abysmally corrupt Department of “Justice.” DOJ, just like the FBI, was politicized during the Clinton administration, allowed to fester during the Bush 43 administration, and has been weaponized against We the People during the Obama administration.
