Trump administration halts student visas while weighing in on vetting social media of new applicants
WASHINGTON, DC: Foreign students hoping to study in the US just hit a major red light.
The Trump administration is throwing up roadblocks, halting all student visa interviews, and eyeing applicants’ social media posts to decide whether they get a green light or are rejected.
Donald Trump administration pauses foreign student visas
According to an internal cable obtained by Politico, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it official. On Tuesday, May 27, he ordered all US embassies and consulates to pause student and exchange visa interviews immediately.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor … visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued [separate telegram], which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable read.
The State Department and Homeland Security have been moving to strip thousands of foreign student visas in recent weeks. Some efforts worked, while others got shut down.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce kept things tight-lipped. “We don’t speak about individual visa cases," she said, but noted, “We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country… and again, whether they be student[s] or if you’re a tourist who needs a visa, or whoever you are, we’re going to be looking at you.”
Bruce added, “It seems to be such a controversial thing that’s going on, but it shouldn’t be… So if you’re going to be applying for a visa, follow the normal process, the normal steps, expect to be looked at, and we go on from there.”
Judge slams brakes after thousands of Harvard students are targeted
Things got heated last week when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tried to kick out nearly 7,000 foreign students from Harvard University, but her efforts were foiled by a federal judge.
Oakland’s District Judge Jeffrey S White issued a nationwide injunction that barred the Trump administration from stripping legal status from international students or letting immigration authorities arrest or detain them.
Still, the administration’s been busy. At least 4,000 international students have already had their visas yanked, according to a senior State Department official. Their rap sheets are not exactly squeaky clean — we’re talking arson, wildlife and human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, DUIs, and robbery.
The State Department also rolled out an AI-powered pilot program designed to “catch and revoke” visas based on students’ social media. If someone’s posting pro-Hamas content or other red-flag material, they’re out.
"Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security,” Rubio said. “The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists.”
Donald Trump admin’s new screening standard
It’s not just about student visas anymore. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed in April that it would also be taking applicants’ views on “antisemitic terrorism” into account when reviewing student visa or green card applications.
One of the first to get the axe was Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student whose visa and green card were revoked in March. His involvement in anti-Israel protests and role as a spokesman for Columbia University Apartheid Divest reportedly landed him in hot water.
Now the Trump administration is battling it out in both federal and immigration court over whether it had the right to deport Khalil — a move that’s stirred up plenty of controversy.
Meanwhile, immigration lawyers are watching it all unfold with cautious skepticism. Devin Connolly, a managing partner at Reeves Immigration Law Group, pointed out that social media reviews aren't exactly new, but they’ve traditionally been used for things like checking if a marriage is real.
“The administration, and especially Secretary Rubio, has been very clear that nobody is entitled to a visa and that they will not be issuing visas to foreign nationals whose beliefs and activities are contrary to the United States’ national interests,” Connolly told the New York Post.
Is dissing the Donald Trump admin enough to get you denied?
While the focus may seem obvious (groups like Hamas, radical ideologies), Connolly flagged a much murkier concern.
“However, to what extent will social media postings that are critical of the Trump administration and its policies be considered to be in conflict with our national interests?” he asked. And that’s where things get tricky.
“It is easy to foresee denials for certain postings about Israel and Hamas,” Connolly said, “But what about postings about Afrikaners being granted refugee status? We will have to see if a subject like that is controversial enough to warrant a denial.”
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