Last Wednesday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new policy allowing immigration authorities to screen visa applicants’ social media activity for signs of antisemitic content. Online expressions deemed supportive of antisemitic violence, as well as physical harassment of Jewish individuals, may now be used as grounds to deny immigration benefits.
Under this measure, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will consider social media content supporting antisemitic terrorism or related organisations a negative factor in immigration applications.
The measure applies to all noncitizens applying for lawful permanent residency, student visas, or those affiliated with educational institutions accused – by US authorities – of antisemitic activity.
If you’re an alien in the United States, you must register with the federal government. Learn who this affects, how to register, and the penalties for not complying here: https://t.co/zdqiWcsYwf pic.twitter.com/6153FW8UoP
— USCIS (@USCIS) April 10, 2025
Aligning with Trump’s in from 2019 and 2025 executive orders to combat antisemitism and to protect the US from foreign terrorists, this policy enables the DHS to enforce immigration laws ‘to the maximum degree’, targeting ‘extremists and terrorist aliens’, including those supporting ‘antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organisations’, such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said, ‘there is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathisers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,’ adding that ‘Sec. Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism,’ should think again and is not welcome.
With help from USCIS, @ICEgov apprehended an alien who led pro-Hamas campus protests. The arrest follows the recent @DHSgov announcement on combatting antisemitism & protecting the U.S. from foreign terrorists & other national security & public safety threats. pic.twitter.com/AJMKXxuQZZ
— USCIS (@USCIS) April 15, 2025
Free speech advocacy groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) denounced the move on X, stating, ‘The administration trades America’s commitment to free and open discourse for fear and silence.’ Similarly, the Council on American-Islamic Relations accused the administration of ‘shredding the first amendment for the benefit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’.
Amid a reported rise in antisemitic incidents in the US since the start of the war in Gaza, some progressive Jewish advocacy groups have voiced concern that Trump’s broad use of the label ‘antisemitism’ in this policy, raising questions about its political motivations and potential unintended consequence.
Concerns have been raised regarding the policy’s implementation, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect antisemitic content and the lack of a clear legal definition of antisemitic activity.
Further concerns stem from the broader context as in March, 300 individuals had their visas revoked by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who stressed that non-US citizens did not have the same rights as Americans, and that it was up to him, not judges to issue or deny visas. The recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a US permanent resident who led the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University raises questions about the scope of immigration enforcement.
It's fundamentally un-American to tell people that they can be detained or suffer any kind of adverse consequence for saying something the government doesn't like.
— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) April 12, 2025
That's not who Americans are or should be.
🎥: @WillatFIRE
📺: @CBCNews pic.twitter.com/s6epmrENK9
Jonathan Jacoby of the Nexus Project, which combats antisemitism, warned that ‘Using vague language like “terrorist sympathiser” to target and punish immigrants will not combat antisemitism or make Jews any safer’.
This latest directive follows a string of measures targeting academic institutions, including the suspension of federal funds to universities like Harvard, accused of failing to adequately respond to pro-Hamas protests. Critics say these actions, along with the visa screenings, signal an escalating crackdown on dissent framed through the lens of combating antisemitism. This new policy comes as antisemitic incidents have increased by 200% increase in the US since October 7, 2023, prompting an ongoing debate about the balance between national security concerns, the need to combat antisemitism and the protection of fundamental rights.
