U.S. to screen immigrants’ Social Media for Antisemitism under new DHS policy

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a new policy to screen immigrants' social media accounts for antisemitic content. The move will impact individuals applying for permanent residency and foreign nationals affiliated with educational institutions.

According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the screenings are intended to identify and bar entry to individuals who support antisemitic terrorism, promote violent ideologies, or show ties to organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers,” said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin. “We are under no obligation to admit them or allow them to remain here.”

The new policy takes effect immediately and comes in the wake of recent arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, who were accused by authorities of engaging in antisemitic behavior. Their legal representatives have denied all allegations.

This action is part of a broader government effort that includes new information-sharing arrangements between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), allowing ICE access to certain tax data for immigrants under criminal investigation or facing deportation.

The decision has sparked strong reactions. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized the move, saying: “The spirit of Joseph McCarthy is alive and well in the Trump administration, which continues to mislabel legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza as antisemitism, targeting students and immigrants and threatening their free speech rights.”

Defending the policy, Secretary Noem wrote on X last month: “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States. When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked.”

This shift marks an expansion of national security tools to include ideological vetting based on online activity, raising new debates over free speech and immigration rights.