The U.S. government apparently plans to increase vetting of visa applicants’ social media accounts—including those of international journalists—as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted a Daily Signal report on X, which stated that the State Department is expanding social media vetting to applicants for other visa types.
The Daily Signal reported that an internal letter it obtained explains the idea, which would compel visa applicants to set their social media profiles to “public” or “open.”
When asked by AFP about the report, a State Department spokesperson said “the department is constantly reviewing and evaluating screening and vetting procedures worldwide to ensure that our visa process upholds the highest standards for US national security and public safety.”
“Online presence vetting is about applicants demonstrating their eligibility to receive a visa under US law and ensuring that no individual poses a risk to the safety and security of the United States,” the spokesperson said.
The United States currently compels applicants for some types of visas, including student visas, to make their accounts public.
The Daily Signal stated that it would now apply to international media personnel, as well as some Mexican and Canadian nationals.
Since taking office last year, Trump has pushed to deport millions of unauthorised immigrants and restrict admission into the United States for nationals of a number of nations.
Backstory…
In a proposal that could take effect as early as September, the Trump administration finalized guidelines last month to limit how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the United States.
Under these new rules, the administration will admit foreign students on student visas for the duration of their academic program, capping their stay at a maximum of four years.
Meanwhile, the move is the latest in a series of tougher U.S. immigration and visa measures introduced in recent weeks under the Trump administration.
In August 2025. the US issued a stringent directive to all visa applicants, mandating the disclosure of all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.
