Under the new policy, which kicks in immediately, online expressions of anti-Semitism will be grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will begin reviewing immigrants’ social media activity for anti-Semitic content, including support for terrorist organizations, as part of its immigration vetting process.
DHS said on April 9 that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will consider online expressions of anti-Semitic sentiment—particularly those endorsing violence or terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
The new policy, which goes into effect immediately, also applies to physical harassment of Jewish individuals and will affect applicants for lawful permanent residency, foreign students, and individuals affiliated with educational institutions linked to anti-Semitic activity.
The policy directs USCIS officers to treat expressions of support for anti-Semitic violence or extremist ideologies as negative discretionary factors when evaluating applications.
“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “[DHS Secretary Kristi] Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism–think again. You are not welcome here.”
DHS said the change stems from a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump aimed at combating antisemitism and protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other threats to public safety.
The announcement drew criticism from Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, a progressive Jewish organization, which alleged that the policy amounts to “using Jews as an excuse to move a cruel, anti-immigrant, authoritarian agenda.”
The president’s Jan. 29 order—titled “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism”—reaffirms the 2019 executive order issued during his first administration, which targets campus anti-Semitism. It directs federal agencies to use all appropriate civil and criminal authorities to prosecute and remove perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitism activity, including on college campuses, where Trump said Jewish students face “an unrelenting barrage” of discrimination, intimidation, and threats.
By Tom Ozimek
