Those applying to study in the USA will be left in limbo.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this will be the case “until further guidance is issued”.
Social media ‘vetting’
President Trump’s administration is set to introduce a programme of social media vetting on would-be international students wanting to study in the country, amidst claims of universities being ‘too left-wing’. This is a clear move to root out any students who have views that are not commensurate with the administration’s view.
As in other countries, US universities gain a significant amount of funding from international student fees – and this latest action threatens to stem that cash flow.
The Trump administration has already halted millions of dollars of funding to the sector, revoked visas of existing international students and deported others. It claims that universities have allowed unsafe environments for Jewish students to develop on their campuses.
Antisemitic or pro-Palestinian social media posts are one of the things the ‘vetting’ of international students will check for – regardless of the fact that it infringes the rights to freedom of speech set out in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Read the BBC’s latest report on this issue.
