WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S State Department is resuming the process for foreign students to apply for visas, but with a twist.
Applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts so the government can review those pages before issuing a visa.
The department says consular officers will be scanning social media for posts and messages with “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”
A Wednesday notice says the department rescinded the May suspension of foreign student visa processing, but noted that students who fail to set their accounts to public may be rejected.
“Under new guidance, consular officers will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting of all student and exchange visitor applicants,” the department said in a statement. “The enhanced social media vetting will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country.”
In a cable obtained by Politico, the State Department instructs embassies to flag “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security” and things like “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”
Support for Hamas is listed as an example of the screening procedures. It directs consular officers to flag “applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism” and directs them to “consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States,” the outlet reports.
In May, State Secretary Marco Rubio ordered a halt to new student visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates as federal officials consider increased screening measures, especially on social media accounts, according to multiple reports.
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