Egypt Daily News – Reports indicate that the U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students deemed supportive of the Palestinian movement Hamas, according to Axios on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials.
The report states that the AI-driven “monitor and revoke” efforts will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders’ social media accounts.
Officials are also reviewing news reports on anti-Israel protests and complaints from Jewish students highlighting foreign nationals allegedly involved in antisemitism.
The State Department is set to collaborate with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security as part of what one senior U.S. official described as a “whole-of-government and whole-of-authority approach.”
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 grants the Secretary of State the power to revoke visas of foreigners deemed a “threat,” a point raised by current Secretary of State Marco Rubio—formerly a senator—just eight days after the events of October 7.
At the time, Rubio stated, “We see people marching on our campuses and in our streets calling for an uprising and celebrating what Hamas has done… We must deport them.”
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to combat antisemitism, vowing to deport non-American university students and others who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
A senior State Department official told Axios that foreign nationals posting content on social media in support of attacks on Israel or Hamas would be grounds for “visa revocation.”
The official added, “Under President Trump, the Immigration and Nationality Act has become great again.”
