The US State Department has issued a new directive to consular offices, instructing them to significantly expand their screening processes for student visa applicants, including mandatory social media investigations.
The updated process aims to exclude individuals deemed to support terrorism or other national security threats.
This directive, shared with consular officers has raised concerns about broader implications for academic freedom and individual privacy. It follows several high-profile visa revocations and arrests linked to pro-Palestinian activism on university campuses.
The new guidance specifies that evidence of support for terrorism—whether through direct advocacy, financial contributions, or other forms of endorsement for terrorist activities or organisations—may result in a visa denial.
The directive particularly targets student visa categories such as F, M, and J visas, which are issued to individuals studying in the United States.
The US consular officers are now instructed to conduct mandatory social media reviews of all applicants, probing their online activities for signs of affiliation with or support for terrorist organisations.
Officers are further mandated to preserve digital records, such as screenshots of potentially derogatory content, for use in future visa adjudications. Even if the posts are later deleted or altered, these digital records must remain part of the applicant’s case file.
“Evidence that an applicant advocates for terrorist activity or demonstrates public approval for such activity or a terrorist organisation may indicate visa ineligibility,” the memo reads.
The directive also highlights that the process will apply to students already in the US, should they seek to renew their visas, including those who were in the country prior to the new procedures being implemented.
The guidance has been widely interpreted as targeting individuals connected to recent campus protests, particularly those speaking out for Palestine which has sparked intense debates and actions across US universities.
As part of the directive, the government has emphasised the potential threat posed by these students’ activities, including perceived hostile attitudes toward US citizens, government institutions, and core national values.
In recent weeks, the government has revoked visas for dozens of students allegedly linked to Hamas, an organisation that the US classifies as a foreign terrorist entity.
The new policy escalates this trend, further scrutinising students who may have attended protests or expressed critical views of US foreign policy, especially regarding Israel and Palestine.
The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the updated guidelines.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the revocation of over 300 student visas linked to campus protests, particularly those tied to pro-Palestinian activism. He has described these individuals as “lunatics” engaged in anti-American activities, and reaffirmed that the Trump administration views such actions as a national security concern.
“We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” Rubio said during an official visit to Guyana earlier this week. “At some point, I hope we’ve run out because we’ve gotten rid of them.”
However, Rubio’s remarks have sparked significant backlash, particularly from legal experts and civil rights advocates. Some argue that this policy infringes on free speech rights, especially in a nation where the First Amendment guarantees freedom of expression.
Critics point out that the policy targets foreign nationals who are protected under international law and should not face retaliation for speaking out against US foreign policy.
Among the most notable recent cases is that of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who was detained by immigration officers outside her home on Tuesday.
Ozturk had written an article in the university newspaper calling for the university to recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. While she has not been formally charged with any crime, the Department of Homeland Security claims that she engaged in activities that support Hamas, a foreign terrorist group.
Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts, denounced Ozturk’s detention as a “horrifying violation” of constitutional rights.
She accused the Trump administration of “abducting students with legal status” and labelled Ozturk a “political prisoner.” Pressley, alongside other critics, argued that such detentions and visa revocations serve to punish individuals for exercising their freedom of speech, a right that should be guaranteed regardless of their nationality..
The Trump administration has drawn from previous executive orders on national security and anti-Semitism to justify the broader surveillance of student activists, including a focus on social media as an essential tool for identifying potential threats to US interests.
The new directive indicates that consular officers are now tasked with investigating applicants’ relationships with organisations, including membership and financial contributions.
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