DHS to Screen Immigrant Applicants’ Social Media for Anti-Semitism, Terrorist Ties

Under the new policy, which kicks in immediately, online expressions of anti-Semitism will be grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks to staffers at Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington on Jan. 28, 2025. Manuel Balce Ceneta/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will begin reviewing immigrant applicants’ social media activity for anti-Semitic content, including support for terrorist organizations, as part of its immigration vetting process.

DHS stated on April 9 that 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 went 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.”

The DHS stated that the change stems from a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump aimed at combating anti-Semitism 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 Anti-Semitism”—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-Semitic activity, including on college campuses, where Trump said Jewish students face “an unrelenting barrage” of discrimination, intimidation, and threats.

“It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence,” the order reads.

The executive action also mandates that the secretaries of state, education, and homeland security collaborate to identify how institutions of higher education can better detect and report anti-Semitic activities by immigrant students or staff and how they can ensure that such reports may lead to investigations and potential deportation.

Trump’s Jan. 20 order, titled “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” expands DHS authority to vet and screen noncitizens for hostile ideologies to the “maximum degree possible.” It requires agencies to identify and remove aliens who support terrorism, espouse hatred toward U.S. citizens or institutions, or aim to undermine Americans’ constitutional rights—in particular, freedom of speech and religion.

Trump’s directive also calls for a full review of visa programs to ensure that they are not used by hostile foreign actors to harm U.S. interests.

“It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes,” the order reads.

The DHS’s April 9 announcement follows a separate initiative launched in March, in which USCIS proposed a rule that would require immigrant applicants to disclose their social media handles and platform usage as part of their application process. That rule, still under public comment, is aimed at strengthening identity verification and detecting potential extremist affiliations among visa and immigration benefit applicants. The proposal would apply to a wide range of applicants, including those seeking green cards, asylum, or naturalization.

The move to tighten immigration screening comes after what Trump has called years of “open borders” under President Joe Biden, whose term saw record-high numbers of illegal crossings.

On his first day back in office, Trump signed 10 executive orders on border enforcement, ending the so-called “catch and release” policy, shutting down the CBP One app, declaring a border emergency, and increasing deportations.

Customs and Border Protection reported 8,326 apprehensions in February—Trump’s first full month in office—marking the lowest monthly total on record. Monthly apprehensions under Biden peaked at nearly 300,000.