U.S. State Department to Expand Social Media Vetting of Foreign Journalists Applying for Visas, Report Says.

The United States State Department announced that it will now vet the social media accounts of foreign journalists applying for visas to work in the United States. The move expands a program started during former President Donald Trump’s administration, which required many visa applicants to make their public social media profiles available for review. The new scope also covers applicants for a visa category that allows workers from Canada and Mexico to enter the country. A State Department spokesperson said the screening, described as “online presence vetting,” helps ensure applicants are eligible under U.S. law and will not threaten national security, public safety or U.S. interests. The department uses a variety of methods to make informed decisions. The report does not specify when the expanded policy will take effect. The Department of Homeland Security had recently strengthened rules limiting how long foreign journalists, students and other visa holders could stay in the United States. The measure is part of a series of actions by the administration to consider online speech when assessing immigration and visa applicants. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has said it will screen social media posts of immigrants and visa applicants for content it deems antisemitic or “anti‑American.” The administration has canceled visas for foreign students who engaged in pro‑Palestinian activism, and it revoked visas for six foreign nationals after comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The state department has said it will continue to identify visa holders it believes celebrated the killing.