The US will consider "anti-Semitic" social media posts as a criterion for denying visas.

WashingtonThe United States Department of Homeland Security announced this Wednesday that it will begin considering social media posts deemed "anti-Semitic" as a criterion for denying visas, work permits, and any immigration documents. This is a new step in the ideological targeting of the Donald Trump administration, after immigration agents detained international students—with legal status in the country—for their participation in last year's university protests against the Gaza war. Republicans have long distorted and expanded their "anti-Semitism" label to attack speech contrary to the Palestinian conflict.

"Today, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering anti-Semitic activity by foreigners on social media and physical harassment against Jewish people as grounds for denying applications for immigration benefits. This measure will immediately affect foreigners who have been accused of anti-Semitic activities," it explains. the statement published on the Department of Homeland Security's website, led by Kristi Noem.

"Under this new guidance, USCIS will consider as a negative factor in any discretionary review content posted on social media by foreigners that supports, promotes, or advocates anti-Semitic terrorism, anti-Semitic terrorist organizations, or other anti-Semitic activities when evaluating applications for immigration benefits."

The move comes amid concerns from migrant and Palestinian organizations about the implementation of a new travel ban like the one Trump implemented during his previous term with the so-called Muslim side. During his first presidency, he banned entry to the United States to all persons from a number of Muslim-majority countries. Last month, New York Times published a draft of the countries the new government plans to ban.

Pressure on universities

Last spring, when the anti-war encampments in Gaza spread across the country's college campuses, Republicans launched a massive crackdown, labeling the demonstrations "anti-Semitic." The campaign ultimately sparked a debate that currently threatens the right to academic freedom at the country's universities, where many have also begun to face funding cuts from the new administration in an effort to align them with the president's ideological agenda.

Columbia University, the epicenter of the protests and where the first arrest of activists occurred, caved in to government pressure. The Department of Education announced the suspension of $400 million in grants until it made a series of concessions to the government. The school later agreed to Trump's demands: a ban on masks on campus (used by protesters to maintain anonymity), authorization for security officers to remove or arrest individuals, and oversight of the department that teaches Middle East courses at the school.

The Trump administration's vague and laissez-faire approach to this concept continues to fuel the president's fear campaign against all groups and collectives he considers hostile. When the first pro-Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, was arrested, many migrant groups and Palestinian activists warned that Khalil was "the canary in the mine." "Mahmoud's arrest is not a surprise to us, and they will use it as an example, not only for Palestinians but for immigrant communities in general who exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of expression," Nesreen Hasan of the Palestinian Community Network told ARA.

There is also an international researcher from Georgetown University who was arrested for his pro-Palestinian views, and there have recently been cases of international visas being revoked from students who apparently had not participated in pro-Palestinian protests. In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that his agency had revoked more than 300 student visas from individuals it deemed to be acting against the national interest or had been involved in a crime.