U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants’ social media for antisemitism

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced it will begin screening immigrant’s social media for evidence of antisemitic activity as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests. The screenings will affect people applying for permanent residence status, and foreigners affiliated with educational institutions. The policy will go into effect immediately.

In a statement issued this morning, the Department of Homeland Security said it will “protect the homeland from extremists and terrorist aliens, including those who support antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or [the Houthis].”

“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.

The announcement comes following the highly publicized arrests and detentions of pro-Palestinian student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, who the government alleges engaged in antisemitic activities. Their lawyers deny the allegations.

“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live & study in the United States of America,” Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security posted recently on X. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country.”