USCIS to look into social media of visa applicants to check for anti-semitic activities

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ anti-semitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests, according to a press statement on Wednesday. This will immediately affect aliens applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.

Consistent with President Trump’s executive orders on combatting anti-semitism, additional measures to combat anti-semitism and protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats, the department of homeland security (DHS) will enforce all relevant immigration laws to the maximum degree, to protect the homeland from extremists and terrorist aliens, including those who support anti-semitic terrorism, violent anti-semitic ideologies and anti-semitic terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah aka: “the Houthis”, the press release 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,” said DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin. “Secretary [Kristi] Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-semitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here.”

Under this guidance, USCIS will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting anti-semitic terrorism, anti-semitic terrorist organisations, or other anti-semitic activity as a negative factor in any USCIS discretionary analysis when adjudicating immigration benefit requests. This guidance is effective immediately.