DUBAI: The US State Department has ordered overseas officials to scour the social media accounts of some student and exchange visitor visa applicants in a bid to stop critics of the US and Israel from entering the country, say media reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent out a 1,700-word cable on March 25 titled “Action Request: Enhanced Screening and Social Media Vetting for Visa Applicants.” It described the process foreign service officers abroad must follow when reviewing student and exchange visitor visa applications.

Independent news site The Handbasket, which broke the story, said the cable asked consular officers to refer certain applicants to the Fraud Prevention Unit for a mandatory social media check. The enhanced vetting applies to those suspected of having terrorist ties or sympathies, those who held a student or exchange visa between Oct. 7, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024, and those who have had a visa terminated since Oct. 7, 2023.

A State Department employee told the media outlet it was “pretty clear the immediate target is anyone who participated in pro-Palestinian protests — one of the triggers for social media screening is having been in the US on one of these visas between Oct. 7 and the end of last August.”

The cable states that, during the screening, officers “MUST ADDRESS any derogatory information indicating that a visa applicant may be subject to the terrorism-related ineligibility grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” which includes “advocating for, sympathizing with, or persuading others to endorse or espouse terrorist activities or support a DESIGNATED FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”

It also contains some broader guidance. One section suggests a student visa applicant does not necessarily need to express explicit support for terrorist activity in order to be denied as long as they demonstrate “a degree of public approval or public advocacy for terrorist activity or a terrorist organization.” 

This could be evident in “conduct that bears a hostile attitude toward US citizens or US culture” or in “advocacy or sympathy for foreign terrorist organizations.”

“All of these matters may open lines of inquiry regarding the applicant’s credibility and purpose of travel,” the cable states.

Some directives are somewhat vague — perhaps intentionally, so they can be applied in whichever way is required, the State Department employee told The Handbasket.

The cable also cites a quote from Rubio’s interview with CBS on March 16: “We don’t want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes and undermining our national security or the public safety. It’s that simple. Especially people that are here as guests. That is what a visa is ...  It is a visitor into our country. And if you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave.”

Since taking up his role in January, Rubio has revoked at least 300 visas awarded to students, visitors and others. Last Thursday, he told the media he had signed letters on a daily basis. He refused to comment on how the cases came before him, but said he reviewed each one personally.

“If they’re taking activities that are counter to our national interest, to our foreign policy, we’ll revoke the visa,” he said.

Rubio added that a visa holder charged with a crime while in the US should automatically lose their permission to be in the US. Permanent residents, or green card holders, are not exempt from additional scrutiny and could also lose their status.

Last month, Rubio signed off on revoking the PR status of Syrian-born Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung, of South Korea, both of whom were involved in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

Khalil, who is married to a US citizen, was seized from his home by immigration agents and taken to a detention center in Louisiana. Chung has been in the US since the age of seven.