The U.S. Department of State has implemented new standards requiring certain visa applicants to undergo a social media analysis as part of their screening process.
The directive by Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly requires consular officers to look through student visa applicants’ online activity and social media profiles for anti-American, anti-Israel, or pro-Palestinian posts before approving entry into the country.
According to internal communications obtained by The New York Times, overseas consular offices have been instructed to refer F, M, and J visa applications—designated for use by academic students, vocational students, and exchange visitors, respectively—to a “fraud prevention unit” for a mandatory social media review.
The policy, which went into effect for applicants within the last few weeks, allegedly aims to identify people whose public online persona may indicate hostility toward America or Israel.
“We don’t want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes and undermining our national security or the public safety,” Rubio said in a recent interview on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. “It’s that simple, especially people that are here as guests. That is what a visa is.”
The new social media analysis requirement follows a growing set of immigration and deportation enforcement efforts by the Trump administration. In recent months, several executive orders have reinforced the government’s stance on immigration control and the fight against terrorism, including directives specifically targeting anti-Semitic rhetoric and pro-Palestinian activism.
In a recent statement to the press, Rubio emphasized that “a visa is a gift” and that “no one is entitled to a visa.”