International-News

Trump wants to check foreign students’ socials before granting visas

Visa talks at US embassies suspended. Universities fear a collapse in international enrolment

The Trump administration is considering the introduction of mandatory social media monitoring for all foreign students wishing to enrol in university courses in the US. This was revealed by Politico, which viewed a confidential communication signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The document calls on US diplomatic personnel to temporarily suspend the scheduling of new student visa interviews in preparation for the implementation of the new measure. The plan, if confirmed, could drastically slow down entry procedures into the country, with serious consequences for US universities, many of which depend on the economic and academic contribution of international students.

The directive refers to executive orders adopted with the aim of countering terrorism and anti-Semitism, but does not clarify which content published online will be considered problematic. Until now, similar controls had only been applied to students already in the United States, particularly after incidents related to protests against Israeli operations in Gaza.

According to Politico, several State Department officials expressed concern about the ambiguity of the previous instructions, which did not specify whether, for example, the mere posting of a Palestinian flag on X could constitute grounds for blocking. The measure is part of a broader context of immigration tightening and growing tension between the Trump administration and universities, which have been accused of excessive tolerance of alleged anti-Semitism on campuses.

THE LATEST NEWS