Trump administration halts new student visa appointments; to expand social media vetting

The Trump administration has directed its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. This comes as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting for foreign students.

According to an internal cable seen by Reuters, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that updated guidance on social media vetting will be issued after a review is completed. He advised consular sections to halt scheduling new visa appointments for students and exchange visitors, though already scheduled appointments may proceed under current guidelines.

The move is part of the administration's wider efforts to increase deportations and revoke student visas, aligning with its strict immigration policies. Several hundred protesters, including Harvard students and professors, demonstrated in support of foreign students and against the administration's attempts to cut funding to the university.

The cable noted that consular sections should consider workload and resource needs before scheduling appointments and remain focused on services for US citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention.

 A senior State Department official confirmed the cable's accuracy, while spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US will use all available tools to vet entrants. "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 told reporters at a news briefing.

Trump administration officials have stated that student visa and green card holders may face deportation for supporting Palestinians or criticising Israel's actions in Gaza, describing such actions as threats to US foreign policy. Critics have condemned this as an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment.

This comes as the Trump administration plans to end the federal government's remaining contracts with Harvard University. The US General Services Administration instructed all federal agencies to review and possibly terminate or reallocate their contracts with Harvard, which an official estimated to be worth about $100 million. The government has already ended nearly $3 billion in federal research grants to the Ivy League school and recently moved to revoke its permission to enrol international students. These students number about 6,800, making up roughly 27 per cent of Harvard's total enrolment.