Trump misusing Biden-era software? DHS scour social media histories of foreign students to revoke visas

A United States Department of Homeland Security task force has been created to use data analytic tools to search through the social media histories of around 1.5 million international students studying in the US to look for potential grounds for revoking their visas, reported NBC News.

The officials will also be looking for any charges or criminal convictions of the student visa holders, the report citing three sources familiar with the matter added.

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However, the data analytics tools being used to scour social media were enhanced during the Biden administration, a former Biden administration DHS official told NBC News.

“We were not targeting political activity or speech. We would only review them if they were inciting violence,” the official said. 

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But to use them to search social media of nonviolent students is different from what they were intended to be used for by the previous administration, the official said. 

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Process of how visas are revoked

The tools used by the DHS task force are run by Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center and National Vetting Center, which ensure no potential security threats enter the US, the source explained. Any potential red flags are notified to the Citizenship and Immigration Services, which then asks the State Department to determine whether the student’s visa should be revoked.

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If the State Department decides the visa of student is to be revoked, the task force informs Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in local field offices to arrest and deport the student.

Last month, nearly 300 visas of international students were revoked, according to The New York Times.

(With inputs from agencies)