US Restarts Student Visas With Mandatory Social Media Access Amid Marco Rubio's AI-Driven 'Catch And Revoke' Initiative Targeting Foreign Applicants

The State Department has restarted foreign student visa processing after a month-long suspension, implementing new screening requirements that mandate applicants provide access to their social media accounts for government review.

What Happened: The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it is resuming student visa applications suspended in May, but all applicants must now unlock their social media accounts for consular officer examination, reported ABC News.

Officials will review posts and messages for content deemed hostile to the American government, culture, institutions, or founding principles.

Students refusing to make their accounts public or allow review face potential rejection, with officials viewing refusal as an attempt to hide online activity. The Trump administration had temporarily halted scheduling of new F, M, and J visa interviews while preparing expanded social media vetting procedures.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched an AI-driven “Catch and Revoke” initiative in March targeting foreign students with “pro-Hamas” views. The program analyzes social media activity, past arrests, and media reports to determine visa revocations.

See Also: Trump Was Confronted At G7 By Canada’s Indigenous Honor Guard Who Said He Was ‘Filled With Rage,’ But Delivered A Message Of ‘Peace’

Why It Matters: International students face mounting scrutiny beyond social media vetting. The administration has frozen Harvard University’s federal funding and moved to block foreign student enrollment at the institution, which relies on international students for 27% of its enrollment and significant tuition revenue.

The policy shift affects international education’s $44 billion annual economic contribution and 378,000 supported jobs nationwide. Over 1,500 student visas have been revoked across 222 schools, creating institutional uncertainty for universities dependent on foreign enrollment.

Investor Kevin O’Leary, who teaches at Harvard Business School, defended international students as “extraordinary individuals” worth investing in, calling them “the smartest students in the world” who “don’t hate America.”

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.