Students Protest as Trump Administration Halts New Student Visa Appointments and Plans Expanded Social Media Vetting.
By Caroline Ameh
Students at Harvard University staged a protest on Tuesday in support of international students, as the Trump administration moved to pause new student visa appointments and announced plans to intensify social media vetting for international applicants.
The demonstration, held on the Harvard campus, featured students chanting and holding placards. Among them was a student dressed in a graduation gown and cap, adorned with a sash featuring the American flag — a symbolic gesture underscoring the impact of the administration’s new immigration measures on graduates and prospective students alike.
According to a diplomatic memo obtained by the media, the U.S. State Department has instructed embassies worldwide to halt scheduling any new appointments for student visas. “This pause will remain in effect until further guidance is issued,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable, which was sent to U.S. diplomatic posts on Tuesday.
The memo also indicated preparations were underway for a broader expansion of mandatory social media screening for student and exchange visa applicants. The document noted that these measures would have “significant implications” for the work of U.S. embassies and consulates but did not detail the specific criteria for the vetting process.
This move is seen as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to tighten immigration controls and respond to what it views as politically problematic behavior on university campuses. The administration has repeatedly clashed with elite universities — particularly Ivy League institutions like Harvard — over what it perceives as left-wing bias, campus antisemitism, and allegedly discriminatory admissions policies.
A report by The Guardian in March indicated that enhanced social media vetting has already been targeting applicants suspected of supporting “terrorist activity,” a designation critics say has been used to clamp down on pro-Palestinian activism in the wake of campus protests.
Foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. are typically required to complete visa interviews at American embassies in their home countries. While existing appointments may proceed, embassies have now been directed to clear their calendars of any unscheduled or pending appointments for student visas.
Many U.S. universities rely heavily on the financial contributions of international students, who often pay significantly higher tuition rates than domestic students. At Harvard, for example, international students make up more than 25% of the student population.
Responding to the latest policy shift, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasized the administration’s commitment to stringent security protocols. “We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we’re going to continue to do that,” Bruce said during a Tuesday briefing.
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has targeted universities. It has frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for higher education institutions and attempted to deport international students, revoking thousands of visas — although many of those efforts have been blocked by the courts.
Last week, the administration attempted to strip Harvard University of its authority to enroll international students or host foreign researchers. The move was quickly challenged and subsequently blocked by a federal judge, but it sent shockwaves through the academic community.
If enacted, such a policy could prove devastating for Harvard and other U.S. institutions, many of which depend on their international programs for funding, research collaboration, and global prestige.
Meanwhile, the White House continues to accuse some colleges of allowing pro-Palestinian activism on campuses to be “hijacked by antisemitism.” University administrators, in turn, have pushed back, accusing the administration of threatening free speech rights and academic independence.
