Foreign students wishing to study at American universities may soon face scrutiny for their social media accounts under a new screening procedure the federal government is considering. 

The policy was outlined in a cable signed by Secretary Rubio that was obtained by Politico on Tuesday. According to the cable, the administration is directing all American embassies and consulates to pause new interviews for student visa applications in anticipation of the program’s rollout. 

“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” the cable reads, “which we anticipate in the coming days.” 

The social media screening, if enforced, would affect hundreds of thousands of international students who are accepted into American universities each year and apply for student visas at embassies or consulates in their home countries. 

The edict also appears to apply to foreigners seeking to enter the country for educational or cultural exchange programs. Thousands of young foreigners are brought into the country each year on J-1 visas to serve as summer camp counselors, au pairs, or to take up other short-term jobs. 

It is not entirely clear what kinds of social media posts or activities the government would be screening for, though the cable “alludes to executive orders that are aimed at keeping out terrorists and battling antisemitism,” Politico reports. 

The policy, which has yet to be confirmed by the Department of State, marks the latest escalation in the federal government’s crackdown on American universities’ recruitment of foreign students. 

The Department of Homeland Security recently stripped Harvard University of its student and exchange visitor program certification, a move that prevents the school from enrolling new foreign students in the 2025-26 academic year and forces those already enrolled to transfer to new schools or risk losing their student visas — and their ability to stay in America legally — for the fall semester. 

The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, informed Harvard last week that the agency was revoking Harvard’s certification over the school’s “failure to comply with simple reporting requirements,” for fostering an “unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students,” and for employing “racist” diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

More than 6,000 international students are currently enrolled at Harvard and account for an estimated 27 percent of the student body. International students, who have been hosted at Harvard for more than 70 years, provide an important source of revenue to the school, given that they typically pay the full $56,000 annual tuition and receive no financial aid.

Harvard filed a federal lawsuit against the government’s action and was granted a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing the ban while the lawsuit proceeds in court. 

President Trump over the weekend elaborated on his view of foreign student enrollment, telling reporters that “I don’t have a problem with foreign students. But it shouldn’t be 31 percent,” he added, appearing to refer to Harvard’s international student enrollment, which actually stands at 27 percent. “It’s too much, because we have Americans who want to go there, and to other places, and they can’t go there because there’s 31 percent foreigners.”

International students beyond those enrolled at Harvard are on high alert, too. More than 4,700 international students had their permissions to study in America revoked by the federal government this spring, the Associated Press reported. That’s just a fraction of the 1.1 million foreign students enrolled in American colleges and universities during the 2023-24 academic year. 

In light of the government’s actions, the American Embassy in India issued a warning to its students contemplating study programs in America: “If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future U.S. visas,” the embassy wrote on X on Tuesday. “Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues.”