The U.S. State Department has ordered its consulates and embassies to adopt stricter vetting procedures for visa applicants seeking to travel to Harvard for any reason, according to a cable sent late Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The cable—obtained and reported by Politico—says the new screening process aims to identify applicants “with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence,” though it offers no criteria for what would meet that standard. The policy will serve as a pilot program for more extensive student visa screening across all U.S. colleges and universities, the cable notes. Earlier this week, the State Department said it was pausing student visa interviews while it expands screening of applicants’ social media posts.
Consular officers are now directed to review visa applicants’ online presence for evidence of “anti-Semitic harassment and violence.” The cable says private social media accounts “may be reflective of evasiveness or call into question the applicant’s credibility” and instructs officials to ask applicants to make their accounts public.
In addition to students, the policy will affect faculty, researchers, staff, and guest speakers traveling to Harvard. It marks the latest escalation in the U.S. government’s battle with the University over alleged failures to address campus antisemitism. The government has slashed billions of dollars in research funding to the University, and Harvard has sued the federal government in response.
The directive is also part of a broader crackdown on international students nationwide. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security attempted to revoke Harvard’s ability to host international students, though that decision was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. And earlier this week, Rubio said the U.S. will start “aggressively” revoking the visas of Chinese students studying in the United States, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in “critical fields.”
