The United States on Wednesday commenced the scrutiny of social media accounts used by foreigners present in the country as the government ramps up its zero tolerance for antisemitism.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, said it will consider aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
The screening will affect aliens applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students, and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity, USCIS announced in a statement.
The action is consistent with President Donald Trump’s executive orders on Combatting Anti-Semitism, Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, and Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.
USCIS stated that the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, will enforce all relevant immigration laws to the fullest extent, in order to protect the homeland from extremists and terrorist aliens.
The U.S. government is targeting “those who support antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah aka the Houthis.”
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, stated that America is not a country where people who align with terrorism can reside.
“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathisers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” McLaughlin said.
“Sec. Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-Semitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here.”
