The U.S. State Department plans to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to revoke the student visas of foreign nationals suspected of supporting designated terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
According to a senior State Department official cited by Axios on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered an AI-based visa cancellation program to be implemented. Once operational, the program will allow the State Department to analyze social media posts from hundreds of thousands of international students in the U.S. The goal is to identify individuals who post content supporting Hamas and other designated terrorist groups.
The program will focus primarily on posts showing solidarity with Hamas following its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Additionally, the State Department plans to monitor international students who participated in anti-Israel activities on U.S. campuses after the Gaza conflict, even if they did not face immediate consequences.
The department also intends to collect data on foreign nationals who were arrested during the Biden administration for allegedly supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations but were allowed to remain in the U.S. because their visas were not revoked. While U.S. consulates abroad can cancel a visa if they learn of a student’s arrest in the U.S., a State Department official told Axios that no visas were canceled during President Biden’s term due to arrests related to terrorist organization support. The official criticized this as a sign of lenient law enforcement.
Rubio’s actions are reportedly based on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which gives the Secretary of State the authority to revoke visas of foreign nationals deemed a threat. Rubio, who referenced this law in October 2023 while still a senator, commented on international students participating in pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations in the U.S. He stated that many are chanting for intifada and celebrating Hamas as they flood our campuses and streets and suggested that these individuals should return to their home countries.