The administration of US President Donald Trump has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments to interview applicants for student and exchange visas.
The State Department is preparing to expand checks on the social media accounts of international students, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing an internal document that the agency was able to access.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the document that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media checks of student applicants and exchange visitors and advises consular offices to stop scheduling visa interview appointments.
The move comes at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to increase deportations and revoke the visas of some students as part of its broad efforts to implement its hardline immigration agenda, Reuters noted.
In the document, the existence of which was first reported by the magazine “Politico“, Rubio said that already scheduled meetings can proceed under current guidelines, but new ones should not be scheduled.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.
“The department is evaluating existing operations and processes for vetting and investigating student and exchange visitor visa applicants (F, M, J) and, based on that review, plans to issue guidance for expanded social media profile screening for all such applicants,“ the document said.
Trump administration officials say student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation for their support for the Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the Gaza war, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of supporting “Hamas”, commented Reuters.
Trump's critics say the actions constitute an attack on the right to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Both the United States and Venezuela warned their citizens against traveling to the other country last night, with the United States citing the risk of wrongful detention in the South American country and Venezuela saying its citizens are victims of systematic rights abuses in the United States, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
“American citizens in Venezuela are at significant and increasing risk of wrongful detention“, the State Department said in a statement.
The department set the highest level of travel warning for Venezuela, which does not have a US embassy or consulate, “Do not travel“. It cites risks including torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, unfair law enforcement practices, violent crime, civil unrest, and inadequate health care.
The United States claims that Americans are being unjustly detained in Venezuela. One American was released this month, and others were released in January.
Meanwhile, Venezuela also issued a travel warning for the United States and urged its citizens living there to leave the country.
“Venezuelans in the United States are victims of systematic violations of their human rights, being arbitrarily detained, separated from their families, and transported to concentration camps in third countries,“ Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Hill said in a post on “Telegram“.
Venezuela condemned President Donald Trump's actions, who invoked a 1798 law to order the deportation of hundreds of migrants from the United States to the most dangerous prison in El Salvador.
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld its ban on invoking that law, rebuking the Trump administration for trying to expels migrants without adequate legal process.