Donald Trump’s proposal for the “extreme vetting” of immigrants has a long and controversial history, in which versions of the plan have been used during times of political and social upheaval to quell fear and agitation.

From the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to the McCarran Internal Security Act passed amid the “red scare” of the 1950s, American politicians have often taken “extreme” action to regulate immigration. “The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today,” Trump said in a speech on Monday. “I call it extreme vetting . . . Our country has enough problems.”(nypost.com)…[+]