Even before the Supreme Court reinstated most of his travel ban, President Donald Trump had already bolstered some elements of his extreme vetting plans, The Hill reported.
Last week, Trump signed an executive order to slow down visa processing, rescinding former President Barack Obama's 2012 order to speed it up, The Hill reported.
Obama had pushed his State Department to interview 80 percent of non-immigrant applicants within three weeks; not in this administration.
"This is a very straightforward step that removes an arbitrary requirement and ensures the State Department has the needed discretion to make real-world security determinations," White House spokesman Michael Short told The Hill.
Trump's executive order also instructed closer screening of visa applicants from "populations warranting increased scrutiny," affecting more than 150 countries, and mandatory social media checks of those trying to enter the U.S. from ISIS controlled territories, The Hill reported.
Trump's executive order "is just one aspect of a much larger playbook now underway," Stewart Verdery, a former official at the Department of Homeland Security told The Hill.
The Supreme Court earlier this week reinstated Trump's travel ban in its decision to hear the case when it reconvenes in October. The administration is reportedly ready to implement the travel ban Thursday.
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