The US state department intends to employ artificial intelligence in order to revoke visas of international students who are deemed supporters of Hamas. This decision follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump in January to combat antisemitism and includes a plan to scrutinize student visa holders’ social media accounts. Concerns have been raised about the potential for AI-driven surveillance to lead to errors, misidentifications, and privacy violations. Abed Ayoub, the executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, expressed worries about the infringement on free speech rights. The state department, along with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, is facilitating this “catch and revoke” program. There have been incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia during pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests, although many protesters have denounced these forms of hatred. The open letter published by the American Civil Liberties Union urges colleges and universities not to succumb to federal pressure to suppress dissenting voices on campus. This move by the Trump administration is reminiscent of the McCarthy era while Washington considers Hamas a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/06/foreign-student-visas-pro-palestinian-ai