The United States will now screen social media activities of foreign visa applicants—including students and green card seekers—for antisemitic content under a new policy announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The directive, effective immediately, targets applicants linked to groups or institutions accused of anti-Jewish discrimination, as well as those who have supported extremist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, or Yemen’s Houthi rebels online.
“Anyone advocating antisemitic violence isn’t welcome here,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, citing President Donald Trump’s executive orders on combating religious extremism. The policy empowers immigration officials to deny visas or residency to applicants whose social media posts endorse antisemitic ideologies.
While the U.S. insists the measure focuses on violent extremism, critics warn it may disproportionately affect pro-Palestinian activists and students from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
