Latest news with #socialmediavetting
Khaleej Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
US tightens monitoring of social media accounts of foreign students applying for visa
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the United States, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles," said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. On May 27, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants, saying the State Department was set to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The June 18 dated cable, which was sent by Rubio and sent to all US diplomatic missions, directed officers to look for "applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States." The cable, which was first reported by Free Press, also authorised the consular officers to ask the applicants to make all of their social media accounts public. "Remind the applicant that limited access presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity," the cable said. The move follows the administration's enhanced vetting measures last month for visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, in what a separate State Department cable said would serve as a pilot program for wider expanded screening. Online presence The new vetting process should include a review of the applicant's entire online presence and not just social media activity, the cable said, urging the officers to use any "appropriate search engines or other online resources". During the vetting, the directive asks officers to look for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant. "For example, during an online presence search, you might discover on social media that an applicant endorsed Hamas or its activities," the cable says, adding that may be a reason for ineligibility. Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention centre in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticising her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions are an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Fewer appointments? While the new directive allows posts to resume scheduling for student and exchange visa applicants, it is warning the officers that there may have to be fewer appointments due to the demands of more extensive vetting. "Posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously," the cable said, referring to the relevant visa types. The directive has also asked posts to prioritise among expedited visa appointments of foreign-born physicians participating in a medical programme through exchange visas, as well as student applicants looking to study in a US university where international students constitute less than 15 per cent of the total. At Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest US university on which the administration has launched a multifront attack by freezing its billions of dollars of grants and other funding, foreign students last year made up about 27 per cent of the total student population. The cable is asking the overseas posts to implement these vetting procedures within five business days.
News24
19-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Trump vows ‘comprehensive and thorough vetting' for foreign students in US universities
US President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the US, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles," said the cable, which was dated 18 June and sent to US missions on Wednesday. On 27 May, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants, saying the State Department was set to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The cable dated 18 June, which was sent by Rubio and sent to all US diplomatic missions, directed officers to look for "applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States". The cable, which was first reported by Free Press, also authorised the consular officers to ask the applicants to make all of their social media accounts public. "Remind the applicant that limited access to... online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity," the cable said. The move follows the administration's enhanced vetting measures last month for visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, in what a separate State Department cable said would serve as a pilot programme for wider expanded screening. Online presence The new vetting process should include a review of the applicant's entire online presence and not just social media activity, the cable said, urging the officers to use any "appropriate search engines or other online resources". During the vetting, the directive asks officers to look for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant. "For example, during an online presence search, you might discover on social media that an applicant endorsed Hamas or its activities," the cable says, adding that may be a reason for ineligibility. Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention centre in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticising her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions are an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Fewer appointments? While the new directive allows posts to resume scheduling for student and exchange visa applicants, it is warning the officers that there may have to be fewer appointments due to the demands of more extensive vetting. "Posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously," the cable said, referring to the relevant visa types. READ | Foreign students want to transfer from Harvard over Trump 'fear, concern, and confusion' The directive has also asked posts to prioritise among expedited visa appointments of foreign-born physicians participating in a medical programme through exchange visas, as well as student applicants looking to study in a US university where international students constitute less than 15% of the total. At Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest US university on which the administration has launched a multifront attack by freezing its billions of dollars of grants and other funding, foreign students last year made up about 27% of the total student population. The cable is asking the overseas posts to implement these vetting procedures within five business days.
Arab News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Trump administration tightens social media vetting for foreign students
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile toward the United States, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a 'comprehensive and thorough vetting' of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who 'bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,' said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. On May 27, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants, saying the State Department was set to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The June 18 dated cable, which was sent by Rubio and sent to all US diplomatic missions, directed officers to look for 'applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States.' The cable, which was first reported by Free Press, also authorized the consular officers to ask the applicants to make all of their social media accounts public. 'Remind the applicant that limited access presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity,' the cable said. The move follows the administration's enhanced vetting measures last month for visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, in what a separate State Department cable said would serve as a pilot program for wider expanded screening. ONLINE PRESENCE The new vetting process should include a review of the applicant's entire online presence and not just social media activity, the cable said, urging the officers to use any 'appropriate search engines or other online resources.' During the vetting, the directive asks officers to look for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant. 'For example, during an online presence search, you might discover on social media that an applicant endorsed Hamas or its activities,' the cable says, adding that may be a reason for ineligibility. Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. A Tufts University student from Turkiye was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions are an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. FEWER APPOINTMENTS? While the new directive allows posts to resume scheduling for student and exchange visa applicants, it is warning the officers that there may have to be fewer appointments due to the demands of more extensive vetting. 'Posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously,' the cable said, referring to the relevant visa types. The directive has also asked posts to prioritize among expedited visa appointments of foreign-born physicians participating in a medical program through exchange visas, as well as student applicants looking to study in a US university where international students constitute less than 15 percent of the total. At Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest US university on which the administration has launched a multifront attack by freezing its billions of dollars of grants and other funding, foreign students last year made up about 27 percent of the total student population. The cable is asking the overseas posts to implement these vetting procedures within five business days.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Trump administration tightens social media vetting for foreign students
By Humeyra Pamuk , Reuters US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the cable with the new instructions for embassies. Photo: Pool / AFP / Jacquelyn Martin The United States is restarting student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify applicants who are hostile towards the United States or pose a threat to national security, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles", said the cable, which was dated 18 June and sent to US missions on Wednesday (local time). On 27 May, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The cable, which was signed by Rubio, directed officers to look for "applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States". A State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said under new guidance, consular officers will ask for access to applicants' social media accounts. "To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be asked to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to 'public.' Posts may resume scheduling F, M, and J visa applications," the official said. "The enhanced social media vetting will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country." Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. The change was earlier reported by The Free Press. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions were an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Harvard University's graduation day takes place amid escalating tensions between the university and the Trump administration on 28 May, 2025. Photo: Getty via AFP In a cable in late May, Rubio had asked US consular missions around the world to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose. The Trump administration has been in a multifront dispute with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university. The directive said that would serve as a "pilot for expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants", raising the possibility of the measures being used as a template for applicants to other universities. In the same cable, consular officers were directed to consider questioning the credibility of an applicant if the individual's social media accounts were private, as that may be reflective of "evasiveness". Activities deemed antisemitic or anti-American are increasingly a red flag for the administration in its visa determination process. Such activities were raised as a source of concern by the State Department in a separate internal cable dated 14 June that recommended 36 more countries be added to Trump's travel ban. -Reuters
Japan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Foreign students scrub social media as U.S. expands visa vetting
Nigerian student Owolabi has been meticulously scrubbing his X feed, deleting tweets and comments about U.S. policies. Owolabi, 23, got a place at the University of New Haven in Connecticut for a master's degree in cybersecurity this year, but with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump pausing student visa appointments ahead of new social media vetting guidelines, he is worried. "I don't know what to write on Facebook or X now that won't put me in trouble. It feels like someone is watching my every move," he said. Owolabi, who only wanted to be identified by his last name for fear of repercussions, was about to schedule a visa interview at the U.S embassy in the capital Abuja when he heard about the appointment pause for all applicants. Around 50,000 students from sub-Saharan Africa come to the United States every year to study, though China and India send many more. Around 20,000 Nigerian students went to study at U.S. colleges in 2024 — the highest number from Africa. The United States is a top destination for international students because of the post-degree career opportunities. In May, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed embassies to stop scheduling new visa appointments, saying the Trump administration would review the process and expand vetting of students' social media profiles. The directive is part of a broader crackdown on international students, with the administration seeking to revoke visas and increasing deportations of international students. The U.S. administration has also taken aim at elite universities, notably Harvard. In early June, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump from barring U.S. entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at the Ivy League school. The policies on foreign students are part of a broader immigration crackdown, which the White House says aims to tighten borders and enhance national security. Since 2019, most U.S. visa applicants have been required to disclose their social media identifiers, such as their Facebook or X handles. But Rubio's announcement marks an escalation of the scrutiny applicants will face and raises questions about digital surveillance and the data privacy of applicants, according to digital rights lawyers. They argue that the level of scrutiny that appears to be under consideration could set a dangerous precedent for digital surveillance in immigration processes. While details about the new procedures have yet to be revealed, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the United States was prepared to use "every tool" to vet anyone who wanted to enter the country. Scrutinizing visa applicants' social media activities as part of the immigration process blurs the line between legitimate security concerns and unwarranted digital surveillance, said Khadijah El-Usman, a digital rights lawyer from Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise. El-Usman said profiling applicants based on their online activity meant innocuous posts on X or Facebook might be misinterpreted, and applicants could be denied visas based on opinions or political jokes. "We've seen how even social media companies, mostly U.S.-based, misinterpret posts. What this means is that attempts at humor or political critique can be unfairly flagged as security threats," El-Usman said. Digital rights campaigners warned the U.S. move could prompt other countries to normalize digital surveillance as part of immigration processes. If that happens, all social media users are at risk of being wrongly profiled, said Mojirayo Ogunlana, executive director of Nigeria-based DiGiCiVic Initiative. "If someone in a moment of anger says, 'Why is America supporting Israel?' and they post that on X or Facebook, does that mean they are a terrorist? Or that they are a national security threat? Is that a legitimate reason to deny them visas?" Ogunlana said. She said people would increasingly self-censor online by sharing content that aligned with the religious and political ideologies of the U.S government in case they needed to apply for visas. This has a "chilling effect on freedom of expression" globally, she said adding that young people, who use social media to express frustrations and draw the world's attention to specific causes, will be afraid to do so. "Knowing that a foreign government might review their tweets or Instagram stories would lead to self-censorship," El-Usman said. "It encourages the idea that being authentic about your thoughts is risky and forces potential visa applicants and asylum seekers to conform to a government agenda — the U.S in this case." Barbadian student Blackman, who lives in the capital Bridgetown and also only wanted to give his last name, said he deleted his X and Facebook accounts after receiving an email in May saying his visa application was on administrative hold. Blackman, 20, who has been accepted for a master's degree in pharmacy at the University of Massachusetts, said classes start in August, but he has yet to hear back about his application. He has deleted his social media accounts, but is worried about his blog posts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States as they are still visible online. "The internet gave young people like me a voice to speak about racism and police brutality. Now, I feel silenced and monitored," Blackman said.
