The United States government announced on 9 April it will begin denying visas and permanent resident cards based on applicants’ social media activity deemed anti-Semitic by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that online content showing support for groups designated as terrorist organisations by the US – including Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Huthi rebels – will be considered grounds for visa or green card denial.
The new policy, which takes effect immediately, applies to all visa categories, including student visas and permanent residency requests.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-Semitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here," said department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
According to a statement from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, officers “will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting or supporting anti-Semitic terrorism, anti-Semitic terrorist organisations or other anti-Semitic activity as a negative factor” when deciding immigration benefits.
This follows earlier action by the Trump administration to revoke student visas, including those already within the US, during protests related to the conflict in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in March that visas have been stripped from approximately 300 individuals and that this process continues daily. “Non-US citizens do not have the same rights as Americans,” he said, adding that visa decisions fall under his authority rather than that of judges.
One high-profile case involves Mahmoud Khalil, a protest leader at Columbia University, who was detained and sent to Louisiana for deportation proceedings despite holding US permanent residency. Khalil, who led protests against the Gaza conflict, argues he was not expressing anti-Semitic views and was instead targeted due to his involvement in the protests.