U.S. Orders Social Media Checks on Harvard Visa Applicants
The U.S. State Department has ordered its global diplomatic network to review the social media profiles of prospective Harvard students, searching for antisemitic content.
According to Politico, this is part of a pilot program that may be extended from the Massachusetts university to all U.S. colleges, CE Report quotes ANSA.
A message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, obtained by Politico, was sent out yesterday—just hours after a Boston judge halted the Trump administration’s visa ban for foreign Harvard students.
Effective immediately, consular officials are required to “conduct a thorough online background check of any non-immigrant visa applicant planning to attend Harvard for any reason,” reads the cable. Though mainly targeting students, the order also applies to faculty, researchers, staff, and guest speakers.
Rubio’s directive enacts a proposal made earlier this week by the Trump administration to tighten social media screening for all foreign students applying to U.S. colleges. Visa appointments for new student applicants have been suspended in the meantime.
A version of social media monitoring was already in place but previously focused on returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza on U.S. campuses.
