Trump administration halts student visa appointments amid push to target pro-Palestinian voices

The Trump administration has ordered US diplomatic missions to suspend scheduling new student and exchange visitor visa appointments, as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign applicants. 

The move follows efforts by the administration to target individuals who oppose Israeli military actions in Gaza and express support for Palestinians.

According to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed consular sections to pause scheduling appointments for F, M, and J visa categories while a review of current screening processes is underway. 

Appointments already on the calendar may continue under current procedures, but unfilled slots are to be withdrawn.

"The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants," the cable said.

Support for Palestinians or criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment directly on the cable but told reporters that the US will continue to use "every tool" to evaluate individuals seeking entry into the country. 

“We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce said at a press briefing.

The expanded vetting process will require adjustments in operations and resource allocation across consular sections globally, the cable notes.

The decision comes amid a broader administration effort to revoke visas and increase deportations as part of its hardline immigration agenda. 

Trump officials have stated that foreign students and green card holders may face removal over public expressions of support for Palestinians or criticism of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, characterising such views as a threat to US foreign policy and as sympathetic to Hamas.

Detention of a Turkish student

A Tufts University student from Türkiye was detained in a Louisiana immigration facility for over six weeks after co-writing an op-ed criticising her university’s response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents on March 25 while she was walking down the street in Somerville, Massachusetts in broad daylight. Ozturk was then quickly shuttled between three states as authorities transported her to an immigration prison in Louisiana.

She was later released after a federal judge approved her bail.

Last week, the administration moved to revoke Harvard University's authorisation to enroll new international students. 

The university’s 6,800 international students represent roughly 27 percent of its total enrollment. 

The administration has also taken steps to challenge Harvard’s financial and policy positions after the university resisted federal directives.

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Source: TRT