Overview

• Filed Thursday in federal court in New York, the complaint seeks an injunction halting what it calls viewpoint-based monitoring and a court order to purge records created under the program.
• The unions say automated tools scan visa holders’ posts to flag disfavored viewpoints, alleging violations of the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.
• Survey data cited in the filing report changes in online behavior by members aware of the program, including over 60% of UAW respondents and over 30% of CWA respondents, with even higher rates among noncitizens.
• Plaintiffs are represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Muslim Advocates, and Yale Law School’s Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic.
• The State Department defends the policy, saying foreign nationals do not have the same speech rights as citizens and that officials may revoke visas for posts deemed threatening, while prior court rulings have questioned related deportation actions.