New York, May 27: The Trump administration is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants as it is considering social media vetting of foreign individuals looking to study in America, according to media report on Tuesday. “The Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting,” a news report in Politico said.

“In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants,” the report cited a “cable” dated May 27 signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “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 septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable states, referring to the State Department shorthand for “separate telegram”. ‘Make iPhone in US, Not in India’: Donald Trump Warns 25% Tariff on Apple if iPhones Are Not Manufactured Domestically.

Trump Administration Plan May Severely Slow Student Visas

The report noted that if the administration goes ahead with the plan, it could “severely slow down” the processing of student visas. “It also could hurt many universities who rely heavily on foreign students to boost their financial coffers,” it said. The latest move comes days after the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification, a move that meant Harvard could no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.

Homeland Security Alleges Harvard Permitted Pro-Terrorist Agitation

The Department of Homeland Security accused Harvard's leadership of creating an “unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment.”Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump from Retaliating Against New York over Congestion Toll.

The Politico report said that the administration had earlier imposed social media screening requirements, “but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel's actions in Gaza.” The administration has intensified its crackdown on students who may have participated in pro-Palestine campus protests and has revoked visas and ordered deportations of those involved in such demonstrations.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)