The claim that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed foreign missions to examine social media accounts to determine if visa applicants are supporters of Palestine was made.

Officials who spoke to The New York Times provided information about the directive allegedly sent on March 25.

CRITICS OF THE USA AND ISRAEL AS TARGETS According to officials who requested anonymity, Rubio instructed employees at US foreign missions to examine social media contents to prevent individuals critical of the US and Israel from entering the country during student and other visa applications. The instructions particularly refer to student and exchange visas after October 7, 2023, when Israel’s attacks on Gaza began, leading to an evaluation that one of the main purposes of social media screenings was to reject applications from students expressing sympathy for Palestinians.

EMPHASIS ON SELF-CENSORSHIP The article highlighted that such expressions could lead foreign nationals to self-censor numerous speeches and thoughts to avoid jeopardizing their chances of obtaining a US visa. The arrests of Palestinian-supporting students and academics under the Donald Trump administration following the detention of Palestinian activist Mahmud Halil by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials had sparked debates.

TURKISH STUDENT’S VISA WAS CANCELED

Secretary of State Rubio had announced the cancellation of visas for over 300 foreign students despite advocating for freedom of expression in the constitution.

Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was pursuing a PhD at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was also one of the names added to this list when she was detained by 6 masked ICE officers while on her way to dinner with friends on the evening of March 25. Rubio had disclosed that Öztürk’s student visa was canceled, and she would be deported.