02.04.2025 00:50
It has been reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed foreign missions to scan the social media accounts of individuals applying for visas to the U.S. to determine whether they are supporters of Palestine.
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It has been claimed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed embassies to scan the social media accounts of individuals applying for visas to the country.
INSTRUCTIONS TO "CHECK SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS" FOR VISA APPLICATIONS IN THE U.S.
Officials speaking to the New York Times provided information about the instruction allegedly sent on March 25. According to officials who wished to remain anonymous, Rubio instructed employees at U.S. diplomatic missions to review social media content to prevent individuals who criticize the U.S. and Israel from entering the country during student and other visa applications.
CLAIM THAT "VISAS WILL NOT BE GRANTED TO SUPPORTERS OF PALESTINE"
The instruction in question particularly pointed to student and exchange visas in the period following the start of Israel's attacks on Gaza on October 7, 2023, leading to the assessment that one of the main purposes of social media scans is to reject applications from students expressing sympathy for Palestinians. The report emphasized that such expressions could lead many foreign nationals to self-censor their speech and thoughts to avoid jeopardizing their chances of obtaining a U.S. visa.
The detention of Palestinian activist Mahmud Halil from Columbia University by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials had sparked discussions about the Trump administration's arrests of students and academics supporting Palestine. Secretary of State Rubio defended the detentions despite the freedom of speech clause in the constitution, stating that they had canceled the visas of over 300 foreign students.
TURKISH STUDENT RÜMEYSA ÖZTÜRK WILL ALSO BE DEPORTED
Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is pursuing her PhD at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was also one of the names added to this list after being detained by six ICE officials with masked faces while going to break her fast with friends on the evening of March 25. Rubio announced that Öztürk's student visa had been canceled and that she would be deported.
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