Trump admin resumes foreign student visas, adds social media check
The U.S. State Department will resume processing student visa applications with new screening guidelines, including a social media review.
The move is part of the administration’s broader crackdown on foreign students over national security concerns and follows a temporary suspension of visa appointments issued May 27.
The U.S. State Department will resume processing student visa applications for foreign students with a new requirement: applicants must make their social media profiles public for federal review.
“Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants,” the department stated in a press release Thursday.
The department will review social media activity for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States,” The New York Times reported.
This move comes after a brief suspension of visa appointments issued May 27 while the Trump administration prepared the new screening guidelines.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the department wrote. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought.”
As part of the new screening process, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly directed officers to scan for “applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence,” and to use any “appropriate search engines or other online resources” in addition to social media platforms.
Applicants who refuse to unlock their accounts may be denied a visa for potential national security concerns.
“Limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity,” the department reportedly stated in an internal memo.
[RELATED: DHS suspends Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students]
The decision to review visa applicants’ social media follows the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students over national security concerns.
Last month, the State Department began “aggressively” revoking visas from students linked to the Chinese Communist Party due to concerns of foreign interference.
The Department of Homeland Security stripped Harvard University of its authority to enroll international students, citing the school’s failure to meet federal reporting obligations.
Rubio has also been vocal in calling for the revocation of visas and deportations of international students who “support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas,” Campus Reform reported.
Overall, the administration has revoked over 1,600 student visas, according to the National Immigration Forum.
Campus Reform has covered several high-profile visa revocations, including the case of Mahmoud Khalil. Many of these visa disputes remain tied up in ongoing litigation.
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