People applying for visas to live or work in the United States will now have their social media examined for signs of “anti-Americanism.” The measure was announced on Tuesday (19) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and reported by CNN Brasil, raising concerns among lawyers and immigrants’ rights defenders.
According to USCIS, agents will be able to check if applicants have had “any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations” or if there is “evidence of antisemitic activity.” This policy deepens the restrictions imposed since June, when the administration of President Donald Trump had already introduced social media analysis as part of the immigrant screening process.
Risk of Excesses
The update does not provide an objective definition of “anti-Americanism,” mentioning only ideologies linked to organizations or terrorist actions, including those of an antisemitic nature. To support the new guideline, the agency cited sections of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which historically prohibited the naturalization of members of communist parties and those who advocated the violent overthrow of the American government.
The broad nature of the rule, however, provoked an immediate reaction. Online forums began discussing which positions could be framed as hostile. In a Reddit debate, one user questioned: “Is opposing the recent attack on Iran or supporting a ceasefire in Gaza anti-American or antisemitic?” Another raised doubts about criticisms of President Donald Trump on social media or even sharing satires involving the government in TV series.
Experts Point to Arbitrariness
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior researcher at the American Immigration Council, highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that the term has no legal precedents. “Its definition is entirely in the hands of the Trump administration,” he wrote. For him, the measure evokes McCarthyism, the 1950s period marked by the persecution of alleged communist sympathizers in the US.
Immigration lawyer Steven Brown reinforced that “American values” have never been described in legislation as a criterion for entry or stay in the country. Sociology professor Jane Lilly Lopez from Brigham Young University warned in an Associated Press interview: “It means you’ll have to do a lot more work to provide evidence that you meet our standards. This is really concerning.”
Growing Restrictions on Students and Immigrants
The new guideline emerges amid other migration hardening measures. This year alone, the State Department has already revoked more than 6,000 student visas. Additionally, in June, the agency instructed embassies and consulates to evaluate study visa applicants for possible “hostile attitudes toward citizens, culture, government, institutions, or fundamental principles” of the US.
The government’s justification is clear. “America’s benefits should not be granted to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,” says the USCIS statement. The text also states that the administration is committed to implementing rigorous verification measures “to the greatest extent possible.”
However, critics warn that the subjectivity of the term “anti-Americanism” could open the door to decisions driven by prejudices, political biases, and arbitrariness, making the immigration process even more restrictive and uncertain for thousands of applicants worldwide.
Source: www.brasil247.com