Social Media Monitoring and Immigration Policy: A Shift in Focus?
This policy brief discusses the Trump administration’s evolving immigration policies, which increased surveillance and scrutiny of immigrants, under the premise of security and public safety. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a task force to sift through approximately 1.5 million social media accounts belonging to foreign students. Identification of alleged antisemitic activity could lead to visa revocations, criminal charges, or deportation. Under the Biden administration, these data analytic tools were modified to identify individuals inciting violence. However, the current administration drifted away from the original intent and now targets political expression and constitutionally protected free speech. Many non-profit and civil rights organizations consider this surveilling of visa and green card holders as direct targeting of protected freedom of expression. These efforts are a continuation of pattern of detaining and deporting international students who’ve supported Palestine in any capacity.
