May 28 (UPI) — The Trump administration ordered a hold on any new interviews of foreign student visa applications as it considers expanded vetting of applicants’ social media accounts.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a cable to all U.S. Embassies and consular agencies Tuesday requesting the pause, Politico, NBC News and CBS News reported.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” Rubio wrote.
“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”
The cable also states that “consular sections will need to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward,” and that the main concern should be in regard to “services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention.”
It is not clear on what particular substance such screening would zero in, but Politico said the cable alluded to the search for anti-Semitism and material that would indicate potential terrorist activity.
The Trump administration previously imposed requirements for screening the social media of returning students who participated in protests in support of Palestinians opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.
Politico reported that several State Department officials have privately complained that any previous guidance in regard to what exactly should be a red flag in an assessment of a student’s social media.
