US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly said late last month that he may have revoked over 300 visas already.
The Trump administration has ordered a social media screening for all US visa applicants “who have visited the Gaza Strip on or after January 1, 2007,” the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing an internal State Department cable.
The screening applies to “all immigrant and non-immigrant visas,” including employees of non-governmental organizations, as well as individuals who have spent time in Gaza for any period “in an official or diplomatic capacity,” the cable reportedly said.
Trump administration orders Gaza-linked social media vetting for visa applicants https://t.co/T3i2vmEwb0 pic.twitter.com/OIXvdSSoYe
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 18, 2025
“If the review of social media results uncovers potential derogatory information relating to security issues, then a SAO must be submitted,” the cable said according to the report.
An SAO refers to a security advisory opinion, “which is an interagency investigation to determine if a visa applicant poses a national security risk to the United States,” the report noted.
Dated April 17, the cable was sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts.
A State Department spokesperson would not comment on the cable, but told Reuters that the US administration “is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.”
Hundreds of Visas Canceled
The move comes as the Trump administration has canceled hundreds of visas across the US, “including the status of some lawful permanent residents under a 1952 law allowing the deportation of any immigrant whose presence in the country the secretary of state deems harmful to U.S. foreign policy,” the report said.
It cites US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as having said late last month that he may have revoked over 300 visas already.
This year, several students in the US have been targeted by the US administration and their visas revoked following the signing of executive orders by US President Donald Trump aimed at students “who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”
Student Activists
Among them are Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, and Turkish national, Rumeysa Ozturk, who are being held in immigration detention centers while the court decides a way forward on the government’s move to deport them.
Khalil, a green card holder married to a US citizen, served as a lead negotiator during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University last April.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, alleged in a statement following his arrest that he had “led activities aligned to Hamas.”
Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student, is also currently in detention for having “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” according to McLaughlin.
In 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in Tufts University’s newspaper, The Tufts Daily, urging the school to acknowledge what she described as the Palestinian genocide and to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
He’s flipped his f#cking lid! This is complete governmental overreach. And he’s only doing all this because he’s been paid off by the Zionists. He did not care about any of this until last month. Obviously Canary Mission and Betar put him up to it. And if he prosecutes people according to their social media histories dating back to 2007, that is just beyond the pale. Trump and his entire administration need to be removed from office immediately. He has gone off the rails. We The People do not have to take this. We need to act right now, and vote them all out of office, because we’re next…