A new Department of Homeland Security task force is using data analytic tools to monitor the social media accounts of 1.5 million foreign students studying in the US to potentially revoke their visas. Additionally, the department has announced that antisemitic activity or harassment of Jewish individuals on social media could also be grounds for revoking or denying immigration benefits. This policy has been criticized as reminiscent of McCarthyism by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who believe it violates privacy rights and free speech. The tools being used were enhanced during the Biden administration, but the previous administration only intended to review social media if it incited violence. The data analytic tools are run by Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center and National Vetting Center, sharing any red flags with Citizenship and Immigration Services for visa revocation determination. If a student’s visa is revoked, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are informed to arrest and deport them. Around 300 international students have had their visas revoked in the past month. ICE runs the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which has been heavily criticized for fraud in the past by former ICE Chief of Staff Jon Feere. Feere claimed there was rampant fraud in the program and that the government agencies were not doing enough to stop it. DHS has stated that there is no room in the US for terrorist sympathizers and individuals advocating for violence and terrorism will not be welcome.
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