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In yet another controversial move, US President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered an indefinite halt to new student visa interviews as it considers requiring foreign students to undergo social media vetting as part of their application to study in the US.

The decision has sent shockwaves through academic and student communities, raising fears that US education is being weaponised as a political tool. The shift marks a dramatic escalation in Trump’s crackdown on foreign presence at US universities.

At the heart of the backlash is a growing concern that the move isn’t about national security at all — it’s about silencing dissent. The timing is no coincidence: US campuses have, for months, been epicentres of pro-Palestine student protests, with young activists demanding divestment, accountability, and an end to the US government’s complicity in Israel’s assault on Gaza. Earlier this month, Columbia suspended over 65 students for staging a pro-Palestine demonstration in its library.

The protests have long been framed by the Trump administration as antisemitic and ‘radical,’ even as demonstrators — including international students — express concerns over Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the attacks on free speech in the US.

The move comes just a week after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to revoke Harvard University’s ability to host foreign students, threatening to block international enrolment unless the university surrendered information on students’ supposed “illegal and violent activities.” A federal judge intervened, pausing the directive after Harvard sued the administration for what it called an “unconstitutional” overreach.

But the damage may already be done. As one user on X (formerly Twitter) put it, “Your US student visa application will now depend on what you post on social media. In other words, if you support Palestine, it will likely be declined.”

“Say goodbye to USA Visa if you criticised Israel,” added another.

“WOW: Trump in 2015: ‘Foreign students shouldn’t be thrown out.’ Trump in 2025: ‘Stop their visa interviews.’ This isn’t immigration policy, it’s political whiplash,” one noted.

The majority argued that this wasn’t just a policy shift, but a targeted assault on the very values the US claims to champion: freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry.

“Trump is now freezing student visa interviews — targeting international students in the name of ‘social media vetting.’ This isn’t about safety. It’s about fear, control, and punishing universities for being ‘too liberal’,” one user added.

A user pointed out the irony of vetting student visas, not for threats, but for ‘tweets about Israel’s war crimes’. “It’s not immigration policy, it’s a loyalty test for apartheid,” they added.

When several pro-Trump users defended the decision, suggesting it would “stop the flow of anti-American jihadis into our country,” a user noted, “No, this is to make sure nobody is talking bad about Israel. [The decision] has nothing to do with protecting Americans.”

One person also warned of the academic cost of Trump’s latest decision. “Let’s be clear on what this is — it’s an attack on knowledge,” wrote one user, offering a chart depicting how dependent US research is on foreign talent.

“They [are] carrying on like these foreign students are the mutants from X-men,” a user quipped.

“My guess, express opposition to civilian deaths in Gaza and you won’t get a student visa. White maniacs at work. Free speech as a human right? Nope.” another noted.

A user also expressed concern about how the decision would affect the US’ standing in the world.

The Trump administration seems unmoved. It has also doubled down on its moves against Harvard University, threatening to cancel all remaining federal contracts with the institution — contracts estimated to be worth $100 million.

Harvard President Alan Garber dismissed the administration’s demands as “illegal” attempts “to control whom we hire and what we teach”. The Ivy League institution, which boasts a $53 billion endowment, launched multiple federal lawsuits challenging the funding freeze and student enrolment restrictions. It argues that the White House is violating constitutional protections for academic freedom, reported The Guardian.

What we know so far

The US State Department has suspended all new student visa interviews while it evaluates a potential new vetting process — one that could involve a deep review of applicants’ social media history, reported AFP. The proposed changes reflect a broader Trumpian vision that sees academic institutions not as centres of knowledge, but as ideological battlegrounds.

Homeland Security’s threat to revoke Harvard’s foreign student privileges was temporarily blocked by a judge, with an injunction hearing set for Thursday. But Trump has doubled down, using social media to characterise international students at Harvard as “radicalised lunatics” and “troublemakers.”

It’s a message that resonates ominously with his supporters — and one that could reshape who gets to study in America. As one X user put it with bitter irony: “Being anti-genocide shouldn’t disqualify you from studying… unless the system’s afraid of educated truth-tellers.”

With visa processes now effectively paused and students left in limbo, the US risks not just losing global talent, but its academic credibility, too.