State Department to Use AI to Revoke Visas of Foreign Students Linked to Hamas Support

The U.S. government launches an AI-driven initiative targeting foreign nationals on student visas for social media posts or actions deemed supportive of Hamas or antisemitism.

The U.S. State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, has introduced an AI-powered 'Catch and Revoke' program to identify and revoke visas of foreign nationals perceived as supporting Hamas or other terror groups.
The initiative involves analyzing social media accounts, news reports, and legal cases to flag individuals for potential visa revocation, with collaboration from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
President Trump's recent executive orders target visa holders and educational institutions, threatening funding cuts for colleges permitting protests he deems illegal, and calling for deportation of non-citizen participants.
Civil rights advocates, including the ACLU, have criticized the program as a threat to free speech, academic freedom, and privacy, warning of potential errors and constitutional violations.
The program marks a significant policy shift, with officials contrasting it to the Biden administration's lack of visa revocations for similar activities, as over 100,000 visa records have already been reviewed.