28.05.2025 00:31
The United States has decided to suspend visa interviews in order to conduct detailed examinations of the social media accounts of students planning to come to the country for education from abroad. The directive was sent to all embassies and consulates, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The U.S. Department of State has reportedly suspended visa interviews for students planning to come to the country for education in order to conduct a detailed review of their social media accounts.
WILL BE MANDATORY
According to a document obtained by POLITICO, the Trump administration plans to make it mandatory for all foreign students applying to study in the U.S. to undergo social media scrutiny.
RUBIO'S INSTRUCTION TO SUSPEND
The news organization shared that Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed all embassy and consulate units to stop scheduling new appointment dates for student visas "until more social media information is collected" regarding current applications. The document signed by Rubio did not specify exactly what would be examined on the social media accounts of students applying for visas, but it referenced executive orders aimed at "keeping terrorists away and combating antisemitism."
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S WAR ON ELITE UNIVERSITIES
The Donald Trump administration has been making statements targeting elite universities, particularly those it finds "too liberal," such as Harvard University, accusing them of "allowing antisemitism" on their campuses. The administration, which imposes financial sanctions on these universities, also maintains decisions that allow for the detention of many foreign students by immigration authorities on the grounds that they supported Palestinian protests.
"ANTISEMITIC SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES" UNDER REVIEW
The organization known as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced in April that it would consider "antisemitic social media activities and harassment" directed at Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration rights. Officials from the organization stated that they would evaluate posts supporting antisemitic terrorism or organizations on social media as negative factors in immigration decisions.