Irish applicants for US education visas must make social media profiles public, embassy says
US
educational and exchange visas will be required to make their social media profiles public to allow officials to review their online activity, the US Embassy in
Dublin
has said.
In a statement on Monday, the embassy said the US State Department is 'committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process'.
'A US visa is a privilege, not a right,' it said.
The embassy said visa applicants will be required to list all social media usernames or handles for every platform they have used from the last five years on their visa application form so these accounts can be vetted.
READ MORE
'Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,' the embassy said.
The approach will apply to all foreign students applying for visas to enter the US.
The embassy's statement added that under new guidance 'we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications'.
'We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security,' the embassy said.
'To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public'.'
The embassy said every visa adjudication was 'a national security decision' and that the US 'must be vigilant' that those applying for admission 'do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests'.
US president
Donald Trump's
administration paused issuing new education visas late last month as it considered new social media vetting rules.
The Dublin embassy said it would soon resume scheduling appointments for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications.
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Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Texan Democrats flee state to stop ‘racist gerrymandered' election remapping
For over a century, Chicago was a beacon city during the great migration from the south. But this week, dozens of Texan Democrats are making the city home after fleeing the Lone Star State . Their exodus, on Sunday evening, is a last-ditch bid to block the proposed remapping, or gerrymandering, of the state election maps in what they argue is a nakedly biased attempt at a power-grab to boost the Republican seats in congress when the midterm elections take place in November 2026. By Monday afternoon, the session in the state capitol in Austin had deteriorated into an unholy mess. By absenting themselves, the Democrats prevented the designated two-thirds quorum at the afternoon session and so achieved their aim of closing business for the day: the remapping Bill could not even be introduced. By crossing the state line, the Democratic Texans also denied the state governor, Greg Abbott, the opportunity to order state troopers to track down and physically transport them to the capitol. Instead, he issued a $500 fine for each day absent and called for their arrest. Abbott has furthermore ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate the absent representatives for possible bribery through accepting donations to cover the costs they will incur during their time out of state. 'Texans don't run from a fight,' Abbott said. READ MORE 'To run to New York and Illinois to protest redistricting is kind of like running to Wisconsin to protest cheese. It's just outrageous. Those are two hallmark states that have already done redistricting to eliminate Republicans.' Fifty-six Democrats failed to show on Monday. 'They have left the state, abandoned their posts and turned their backs on the constituents they swore to represent,' said Dustin Burrows, the Republican House speaker, before issuing civil arrest warrants for his absent colleagues. By Monday evening, a protest was under way at the gates of Abbott's mansion, in Austin. The rebelling Democrats are adamant that they will remain in the host states of Illinois, Massachusetts and New York until August 19th, when the 30-day special session to consider the remapping officially ends. However, there is nothing to prevent Texan Republicans from then holding a new special session. Representative Ann Johnson, in a host of interviews with the main networks on Monday, was adamant that the exodus was about protecting 'the voice of everyday Texans and voters'. 'I think the governor's threats of the past 24 hours show just how scared they are of voters next November,' she said. 'Everybody needs to know this is not normal. The Texas constitution says once every ten years let's redraw lines. That's what we do as a nation. Once every ten years. But last year Trump said he wanted North Carolina to redraw, and they took seats for him then. And now he is saying he wants Texas to do it. I don't know of a single voter who wants to go to the polls knowing a politician has already determined who is going to win the race. People protest against redistricting legislation during a march and rally outside the governor's mansion in Austin, Texas. Photograph:'Nobody likes gerrymandering. Nobody wants this extremism and it is why for sessions I have offered an independent commission to redraw lines. But they are purposely saying they will redraw right now mid-decade, even though this is not constitutional on a political partisan basis, to ensure they can steal five Republican seats for Trump at a time when his big, ugly Bill passed by one vote.' The Texas Democrats who went to Chicago were welcomed by JB Pritzker, the Illinois governor, the billionaire and the potential 2028 presidential candidate. 'To be in public office right now is to constantly ask yourself: how do I make sure that I am standing on the right side of history,' Pritzker said. 'There is a simple answer. The wrong side of history will always tell you to be afraid. Expect fear and fear will rule the day.' Governor Abbott is unapologetic about the intentions of his party, stating that there is nothing illegal or improper about the remapping. The proposed changes would alter key districts around the urban strongholds of Austin and Dallas, narrowing Democrat strongholds and almost certainly forcing sitting congressman Greg Casar into a primary election with Lloyd Doggett, the veteran liberal Democrat, in a reconfigured Austin area map. President Trump has been blithe about Republican Party intentions. 'Texas would be the biggest one,' he acknowledged recently. 'Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.' Gene Wu, the Texas House minority speaker, described the Republican proposals as 'a racist gerrymandered map'. 'A map that seeks to use racial lines to divide hard-working communities who have spent decades building up their power,' he said at the press conference organised by Illinois Democrats. Wu also accused Abbott of focusing on a Bill that would please Trump rather than concentrating on the legislation promised in the aftermath of the Kerr County flooding disaster on July 4th, during which more than 100 people lost their lives. 'Instead, governor Abbott has used this tragedy, taken these families who are grieving and used them as hostages in a political game. It has been two weeks. They don't even have a Bill filed to deal with what they promised to deal with.' The countercharge is that the absent Democrats leave it impossible for the Texas House to now enact any legislation. The Texas redrawing looks set to mark the beginning of an embittered period when the grappling for control of the House of Representatives is reduced to district redrawing across key states. Members of the Texas Department of Public Safety inside the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg New York governor Kathy Hochul and California governor Gavin Newsom have both hinted that they are prepared to remap their states to return more Democrats. Republican voices have called out the hypocrisy of their opponents whom, they say, have long designed blue states to ensure that GOP representation is kept to a minimum. 'Massachusetts has a horrible gerrymander,' Arkansas senator Tom Cotton said on Monday. 'They don't even have a single [Republican] member of congress. And Illinois's congressional map I would compare to the scribblings of a small child. But it would be unfair to small children. It is a horrific gerrymander. So, it's rich that the Democrats have fled Texas to these deeply Democratic states.' The flight from Texas has been interpreted as both the first real sign of energetic resistance by the Democratic Party since last year's election and an ineffective stunt that will delay rather than prevent the new legislation. So far, this has been the year of president Trump getting his way, and Texan Republicans are confident that they can wait the rebellion out. 'Eventually they will have to come back,' Texas attorney general Ken Paxton predicted in an interview with podcast host Benny Johnson. 'They have to. They have jobs. They have lives. They have families. They're not going to live in Chicago, especially when it starts getting cold.'
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Presidential election: How much does it cost to run for the Áras?
With the presidential election looming, just how much does it cost to run a successful campaign or otherwise? It is a question that parties and candidates are considering as they either enter the race or think about doing so. National poster campaigns, online advertising and campaign teams cost money and a lot of it. The six candidates in 2018 declared a total spend of €1.36 million in the race for the Áras. The 2011 election cost even more, with more than €2.3 million in spending across seven candidates. Fine Gael has decided to go for it and run a candidate – former European commissioner Mairead McGuinness – for an office the party has never held, and having been burned by presidential elections in the past. Independent left-wing Galway West TD Catherine Connolly is also in the race with the backing of smaller parties and Independents to get on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have yet to decide if they will enter the fray. Labour backs Connolly, and Flatley jumps the shark Listen | 50:26 Presidential elections are fraught with risks for candidates and political parties. Professor of politics at University College Dublin David Farrell says these risks are 'not just financial', but 'reputational' also. 'There have been plenty of examples of campaigns that have completely come unstuck in all sorts of ways that couldn't have been anticipated,' he says. 'It's a courageous person who puts themselves forward and I think particularly if they're representing one of the larger parties, that in itself could come home to bite them if they don't do particularly well.' Farrell suggests that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin may face embarrassment if they do not enter the race, but could also look bad, temporarily at least, if they do and their candidates do not perform well. Independent TD Catherine Connolly has held a press conference outside Leinster House where she spoke about her plans to run for president. 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Fine Gael remortgaged its Dublin headquarters last September to raise money in advance of the general election. The party did not offer an estimate on how much it will spend on McGuinness's election campaign. A statement indicated it will run 'a vigorous' campaign, which will be 'funded from the party's fundraising activities, the vast majority of which comes from the Fine Gael Superdraw'. It said all campaign spending 'will be in line with electoral guidelines and published with Sipo [Standards in Public Office Commission] after the election'. Fianna Fáil's financial statements for last year indicated 'net expenditure on election activity of €1,600,112 in 2024, contributing to a debt position at the end of the year of €1,527,288 which was in line with our projections at this point of the Dáil cycle'. The party said it will clear this debt and 'build an election fund for the future election cycles in this Dáil period'. 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The party will want to see a viable candidate, one that can compete, and that will be the dominating factor.' There has been speculation about potential Fianna Fáil candidates, including former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, to ex-ministers Mary Hanafin and Éamon Ó Cuív. None appear to have been met with much enthusiasm within the party. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled himself out and is consulting with the party on its approach to the election. It could be September before he makes a final decision on running a candidate. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, meanwhile, surprised many recently by not ruling herself out as a candidate as her party continues its deliberations. The Irish Times previously reported there is little appetite within Sinn Féin for her to run, with sources saying they would prefer her to stay in the Dáil, leading efforts to get into government. Sinn Féin may yet join other left-wing parties in backing Connolly. On the extent to which the cost of a campaign is influencing its deliberations, a Sinn Féin source said: 'The internal party discussion on the approach to contesting the upcoming presidential elections are primarily political. Financing a campaign is not the determining factor.' At her campaign launch last month, Connolly said she self-funded her last two Dáil election campaigns, and it will be 'big shift for me to move up and look at a national campaign with a serious amount of money'. [ Fine Gael says Mairead McGuinness 'acted in full accordance' with medical advice after being injured in crash Opens in new window ] She said she would be asking for contributions and the parties backing her are also 'open to providing funds in whatever way they see fit'. The Social Democrats said they are 'proud' to be supporting Connolly, adding: 'While we envisage there will be a financial contribution from the party, the bulk of donations will come from individuals and fundraising efforts around the country.' The Labour Party – also supporting Connolly – said it is 'finalising our approach to the upcoming presidential campaign'. A statement noted: 'As is standard practice, a separate fundraising stream will be established specifically for the purposes of the presidential campaign.' [ Labour Party backs Catherine Connolly's bid for Áras Opens in new window ] The Connolly campaign has been fundraising through its website and a spokeswoman said: 'We're very encouraged by the support Catherine Connolly is getting from around the country. It's really going to be a grassroots campaign.' As of Monday afternoon, the campaign has raised almost €35,000 in less than three weeks. On the evidence of previous presidential elections, Connolly's campaign, and those of any rivals in the race, will need a lot more.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dublin's planned MetroLink will be obsolete because of artificial intelligence, says Dermot Desmond
Artificial intelligence (AI) will make Dublin's planned MetroLink obsolete and the Government should abandon the €10 billion project, according to businessman Dermot Desmond . Instead, Mr Desmond has urged the Government to concentrate on the coming advantages of AI , where autonomously-driven vehicles (AVs) will cut car ownership dramatically in the decades ahead. If approved, construction of the 18.8 km mostly-underground MetroLink should begin between 2028 and 2031, with services between Swords, Dublin Airport, Dublin city centre, and on to Charlemont in south Dublin city opening in early 2035. Equipped with driverless trains running every 3 minutes during peak hours, the MetroLink is proposed to carry 20,000 passengers each hour, each way when it opens. READ MORE Dermot Desmond has said he believes MetroLink will be out of date in 10 or 15 years' time. Photograph: Cyril Byrne However, Mr Desmond is scathing of the plan, believing that public and private transportation is on the cusp globally of the biggest changes for a century or more on the back of the growth of AI. The billionaire said he had believed that the Department of Finance should veto the MetroLink. 'I think it will be useless, out of date in 10 or 15 years' time. This is something that is not going to be required, it shouldn't be planned.' AI and autonomous vehicles will cut the numbers of vehicles on the roads dramatically, he predicted: 'I think you need to look at what's going to happen in the future and then plan backwards.' The billionaire investor has become increasingly interested in the subject of AI, sponsoring a conference in Belfast last month with Queen's University, which heard from major speakers from the United States and elsewhere. 'Where the change that's going to make a big difference to everybody in the world, not alone Ireland. I think that change is going to come out of transport,' Mr Desmond declared then. 'Within 15 to 25 years, I think it will be mandated that there will be autonomous vehicles. People will not be allowed to drive anything,' he said, adding that AI is already cutting travel times and saving energy. 'Public transport systems in the future will become much more efficient. Buses will know what and where the demand is and will organise themselves accordingly,' said Mr Desmond, who urged the Government to plan for wide-scale AV bus services. The changes to come will overturn every conception held today about transport in cities, with faster journeys, less pollution and far less demand for parking because there will be fewer private vehicles, replaced by robotaxis. Most cars today lie idle for 80 per cent of their lives. 'The most optimistic case for Dublin is a reduction of 98% in vehicle numbers,' he said, though he put most realistic reduction between 20% and 60%. 'AV cars will require less space on roads as they will be better able to travel efficiently if the margin for human error is removed,' he said, 'We already live in a world where our phones anticipate when we will leave for work and tell us how long it will take. '
