International students face US visa rejection, deportation over terrorism-related posts on social media

By Minh Nga April 1, 2025 | 05:06 am PT

Members of the University of North Carolina's diverse student body mingle and make their way across campus as the Supreme Court weighs the issue of race-conscious admissions to colleges, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S., March 28, 2023. Photo by Reuters

The U.S. has directed consulates to enhance student visa vetting, with a particular focus on social media activity, to identify potential links to terrorism following recent high-profile cases.

The new guidelines, outlined in a State Department memo obtained by The Guardian, are designed to block applicants connected to what the U.S. defines as "terrorist activity."

This directive follows a series of high-profile visa cancellations and arrests related to pro-Palestinian activism on U.S. campuses.

Dated March 25, the memo provides a broad definition of what constitutes support for terrorism, allowing consular officers to deny visas to applicants who advocate for terrorist activity or express public approval of such actions or organizations. The new procedures specifically apply to F, M, and J student visa applications, where consular officers are now required to thoroughly investigate applicants' social media accounts.

The guidelines also include creating a digital record of potentially harmful social media posts, which could be used to deny entry, even if the posts are later deleted. The memo underscores that any evidence of anti-U.S. sentiment or support for terrorist groups may result in visa rejection.

This heightened scrutiny will also extend to students in the U.S. whose visas are up for renewal, with particular attention to those involved in pro-Palestinian protests following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.

The new measures have raised concerns that students who criticize U.S. foreign policy or participate in campus protests could face visa reviews based on their social media activity.

According to the AP, educators are concerned that this approach could deter foreign students. With the U.S. government taking a tougher stance on immigration, cutting federal research funding, and policing campus activism, students are left uncertain about their ability to obtain visas, travel freely, pursue research, or even express their opinions.

Students from Canada, China, India, and other countries have been seeking answers and advice on platforms like Reddit, wondering whether to proceed with their U.S. plans or opt for universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, or other European countries.

Several individuals with ties to American universities, many of whom have supported pro-Palestinian causes, have been detained under the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants.

Among them is 30-year-old Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was detained last week. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, without providing evidence, that an investigation found Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," which is a U.S.-designated terrorist group.

Earlier last month, immigration enforcement agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Palestinian activist who had been prominent in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last year. The administration has said it revoked Khalil’s green card due to his involvement in the protests, which they claim amounted to antisemitic support for Hamas. He is currently fighting deportation.

Yunseo Chung, a student at Columbia and lawful U.S. resident who moved to America from Korea as a child, attended and was arrested during a sit-in this month at nearby Barnard College protesting the expulsion of students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, as reported by the AP.