SCOOP: Trump Expands Social Media Vetting for More Foreign Visas

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The State Department is expanding its social media vetting requirement to include applicants for more types of visas, according to an internal memo obtained by the Daily Signal.

Last June, the State Department said student visa applicants with private social media accounts will be required to make their accounts public for screening. Social media vetting is already required for diplomatic and official visas; temporary workers and trainees; exchange visitors; international cultural exchange participants; religious workers; and witnesses, informants, and victims.

The new requirements will apply to foreign media representatives and qualified nationals from Mexico and Canada entering the United States for business as part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as well as their dependents.

“The Department relies on every available source of information during visa screening and vetting to identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to national security or public safety,” the memo says. “We apply this rigorous vetting standard consistently across all visa applicants.”

All applicants are instructed to change the settings of their social media to be “public” or “open.” 

“Every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national security decision,” the memo says. “The United States remains vigilant throughout the visa issuance process to confirm that applicants do not intend to cause harm to Americans or threaten U.S. interests, and that each applicant can credibly demonstrate eligibility for the visa requested—including a genuine intent to abide by the terms of admission.”

“Receiving a U.S. visa remains a privilege granted at the government’s discretion, not an entitlement,” the memo adds.