The U.S. government announced Wednesday it will begin screening immigrants and visa applicants for alleged anti-Semitic activity on social media, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups – including Jewish advocates – who warned of free speech violations and excessive surveillance.
President Donald Trump's administration has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests over U.S. ally Israel's genocidal war on Gaza after Palestinian resistance group Hamas' October 2023 incursion.
"Today, U.S. 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," USCIS, an agency of the Homeland Security Department, said in a statement.
The step will immediately affect those applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and those affiliated with educational institutions linked to anti-Semitic activity, it added.
"There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world's terrorist sympathizers."
The Trump administration has often labeled pro-Palestinian voices as anti-Semitic and sympathetic to groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, whom Washington designates as "terrorists."
The administration is attempting to deport some foreign students, has revoked multiple visas and has warned universities of federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian protests.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration conflates their criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza and support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism and support for extremism.
Rights advocates and human rights experts have condemned the Trump administration, including Wednesday's announcement, which they say threatens free speech and is akin to surveillance and singling out of immigrants.
Free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) said the Trump administration was "formalizing censorship practices."
"By surveilling visa and green card holders and targeting them based on nothing more than their protected expression, the administration trades America's commitment to free and open discourse for fear and silence," FIRE said.
The Nexus Project, which fights anti-Semitism, said the Trump administration was going after immigrants in the name of tackling anti-Semitism and treating anti-Semitism as an imported problem.
Rights advocates have also raised concerns about Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias during the Israel-Gaza war. The Trump administration has not announced steps in response.
