Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s May 30 cable directs consular posts to apply extra screening to any non-immigrant visa applicant bound for Harvard, covering students, faculty, contractors, guest speakers and tourists.
• Consular officers are instructed to question applicants whose social media accounts are private and require them to set profiles to public to assess potential ties to violence or extremist views.
• The directive cites Department of Homeland Security findings that Harvard failed to maintain a campus environment free of violence, harassment and anti-Semitism.
• The action comes after a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration’s revocation of Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.
• This step builds on a broader campaign that has frozen billions in federal grants, threatened Harvard’s tax-exempt status and halted new student and exchange visitor visa appointments.