State Department to ramp up screening, social media vetting for student visa applicants as interviews paused

The State Department is planning to bolster its efforts to vet and screen the social media of those applying for international aspirant and exchange visitor visas to ensure applicants don t pose a national safeguard threat to the U S Fox News Digital has learned To do this the State Department is temporarily suspending new candidate and exchange visitor visa interviews as it evaluates enhanced social media screenings for the application process The effort is the latest initiative from the Trump administration to crack down on immigration and revoke visas of those attending academic institutions in the U S Those who ve publicly supported Palestine have faced increased scrutiny and Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests The Trump administration has accused students who ve participated in these protests of supporting Hamas a designated foreign terrorist organization The State Department is now examining existing operations that go into screening and vetting apprentice and exchange visa applications and based on that review plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants according to a Tuesday email obtained by Fox News Digital TRUMP ADMIN ATTEMPTS UP OVERHAUL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE COUNCIL WEEKS AFTER WALTZ'S DEPARTUREAs a outcome the State Department is instructing consular sections to pause adding any additional scholar or exchange visitor visa appointment ceiling until further guidance is issued in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting the email noted The next step is for posts to evaluate operations and processes in preparation for this expanded social media vetting of all trainee and exchange visitor F M J visa applicants revealed the email Appointments already scheduled can proceed under current guidelines the email stated However appointments that are available but not taken as of the release of this cable should be at once removed from availability RUBIO FIRES BACK AFTER DEM SENATOR SAYS HE REGRETS VOTING FOR HIM SPARKING TENSE EXCHANGEThe email does not specify what additional efforts would be involved in the more stringent social media screening process but says that consular offices have been instructed to refer certain attendee and exchange visitor visa applicants to the Fraud Prevention Unit for a mandatory social media check The State Department did not directly respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on what the existing social media program is for applicants Meanwhile Rubio explained lawmakers May that he expects that the State Department has already pulled thousands of visas since January following President Donald Trump s inauguration That s up from the the administration had revoked as of late March Rubio also disclosed that his agency would continue to pull participant visas stating that a visa is not a right it s a privilege I don't know the latest count but we apparently have more to do Rubio communicated lawmakers on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign affairs We're going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher learning facilities Meanwhile Democrats have disclosed that the Trump administration's effort to revoke visas is a violation of due process I do think it's a fundamental attack on freedom because due process is the guardian of the gate to keep a governing body from taking away people's life or liberty and liberty is what happens when you take away a visa without due process Sen Jeff Merkley D-Ore communicated Rubio May A candidate visa allows those outside the U S to scrutiny in the country for a specific amount of time at an academic institution In contrast a green card allows an individual already in the U S who is not an American citizen to remain in the country TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL TRAINEE VISA REVOCATIONS NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA'The State Department s effort aligns with executive orders that Trump signed in January to protect the U S from foreign terrorists and other national prevention threats as well as one that aims to combat antisemitism a senior State Department official notified Fox News Digital One of the executive orders instructs the State Department as well as the Department of Homeland Prevention the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to vet and screen to the maximum degree achievable all aliens who intend to be admitted enter or are already inside the United States particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified assurance risks Additionally the other executive order states that the U S will use all available and appropriate legal tools to prosecute remove or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence