Immigration officials will soon start screening the social media feeds of non-citizens applying for permanent resident status and foreign students as the Trump Administration seeks to crack down on those engaged in antisemitic violence and harassment. 

The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will start “considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.”

The policy will apply to non-citizens applying for lawful permanent residence status, foreign students, and “aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.”

Social media posts that will be considered a “negative factor” in “adjudicating immigration benefits” include content that “indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity.”

In a statement, the assistant secretary for public affairs for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, said, “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.”

“Sec. Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism — think again. You are not welcome here,” Ms. McLaughlin added.  

The press release cited President Trump’s executive orders paving the way for the government to remove non-citizens engaged in “unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence” or who are deemed to hold “hostile attitudes toward” America or “advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists.”

In response to the new policy, the free speech advocacy organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said on X, “The Department of Homeland Security announced today it is formalizing the censorship practices it has engaged in for the past three months.”

“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. Unfortunately, that chill appears to be the administration’s aim,” the post added.

The policy comes as the Trump Administration has been removing foreign students it accused of being “Hamas sympathizers” or who engage in “pro-jihadist protests.” In March, Secretary of State Rubio said the government had revoked more than 300 student visas. 

He added he hoped to revoke more as he said it is “stupid for any country in the world to welcome people into their country that are going to go to your universities… and say, ‘I’m going to your universities to start a riot. I’m going to your universities to take over your libraries and harass people.’”

The number of student visas revoked has grown since Mr. Rubio’s comment. According to Inside Higher Ed, at least 419 students have had their visas revoked as of April 9. 

The moves by the administration to deport non-citizens for their comments or advocacy are likely to lead to a legal battle over the federal government’s authority to remove individuals for their speech. While the First Amendment guarantees some speech protections to non-citizens, courts have typically given the executive branch latitude when it comes to deportations and deciding who can stay in the country.