Report: Rubio orders social media check for visa applicants criticising US, Israel

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomats to scrutinise some visa applicants' social media content, to bar those suspected of criticising the United States and Israel from entering the country, The New York Times reported.

In a long cable sent to diplomatic missions on 25 March, Rubio said starting immediately, consular officers must refer certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants to the “fraud prevention unit” for a “mandatory social media check,” according to two American officials with knowledge of the cable.

The cable described the type of applicant whose social media posts should be scrutinised as someone who is suspected of having terrorist ties or sympathies; who had a student or exchange visa between 7 October 2023, and 31 August 2024; or who has had a visa terminated since that October date.

The Trump administration says it may have revoked over 300 visas in a crack down on pro-Palestinian students at the US campuses. Rights advocates condemn the move.