15 Sources
[1]
Trump administration to use AI in an effort to 'Catch and Revoke' student visas over alleged Hamas support
The US State Department plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to review and revoke visas of foreign students suspected of supporting Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported, citing senior officials. The initiative, termed "Catch and Revoke," will involve AI-assisted analysis of social media accounts belonging to tens of thousands of student visa holders. This effort follows an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump in January aimed at combating antisemitism. Trump has also pledged to deport non-citizen college students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, which have intensified amid Israel's military operations in Gaza. Officials are reportedly examining news coverage of protests against Israel and legal cases brought by Jewish students that accuse foreign nationals of engaging in antisemitism. Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators include Jewish groups, and while many have condemned both antisemitism and Hamas, incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia have been reported in various protests. The State Department is coordinating this effort with the Justice and Homeland Security departments. All three agencies declined to comment. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Trump has also warned that educational institutions allowing what he calls "illegal protests" could lose federal funding. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or ... arrested," he said on Tuesday. The First Amendment of the US Constitution protects free speech and assembly, and rights advocates have criticized Trump's statements regarding protesters. Washington designates Hamas as a "foreign terrorist organization." The group's October 7, 2023, attack killed 1,200 people, with over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, where over 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local authorities. The conflict has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and led to allegations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. with reuters inputs
[2]
Reported U.S. plan to use AI to revoke student visas sparks alarm
Rights advocates raised the alarm, including over free speech concerns, on Thursday after it was reported that the U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke the visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects freedom of speech and assembly. Free speech advocates like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and pro-Palestinian groups said AI should not be relied upon for assessments related to the decades-old and nuance-filled Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Axios cited senior State Department officials to report that an AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts.
[3]
US yanks first visa of foreign student linked to 'Hamas-supporting...
The State Department has yanked the first visa of foreign student linked to "Hamas-supporting disruptions" after President Trump vowed to crackdown on those involved in anti-Israel protests on college campuses. "We revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions," a State Department spokesperson said in a Thursday statement first obtained by Fox News. "This individual was a university student. [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will proceed with removing this person from the country." The student's name or nationality wasn't released due to "legal constraints." It also wasn't immediately clear what college the student attended, or what type of protest they had been cited for participating in. The move comes just days after Trump promised to halt all federal funds for any educational institute that allows "illegal protests" -- and to unmask and even imprison agitators. The commander in chief issued the warning as disruptive pro-Hamas demonstrations have rocked college campuses across the country. His administration has also vowed to pull more than $50 million in government contracts from Columbia University due to the Ivy League school's alleged inaction on clamping down on anti-Israel protests there. Separately, it emerged Thursday that the State Department is reportedly planning to use artificial intelligence to spot Hamas-sympthazing foreigners in the US in a bid to revoke their visas. The effort -- dubbed "Catch and Revoke" -- will see officials pore through social media accounts of foreign students on visas to assess whether there's evidence of sympathies toward Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, Axios reported. "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security. The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists," Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday. "Violators of US law -- including international students -- face visa denial or revocation, and deportation."
[0]
State Department Will Use AI to Search for Γ’β¬~Pro-HamasΓ’β¬β’ Students to Deport
The new move is part of a broader attack by the Trump administration on free speech and free expression. The U.S. State Department is set to launch a program called Γ’β¬ΕCatch and RevokeΓ’β¬ that will use AI systems to scan news reports and the social media accounts of students in America on a visa. The goal is to find people with pro-Palestenian and Hamas sympathies and kick them out of the country. Axios reported the story and detailed how it will work after talking to unnamed officials in the State Department. The unspecified AI will crawl through footage and news reports of protests as well as the social media accounts of 100,000 people who are in AmericaΓ’β¬β’s Student Exchange Visitor System. ItΓ’β¬β’ll start its crawl on October 7, 2023. The goal is to find out if any of these student protestors or people with alleged Hamas leanings faced what the Trump administration feels is appropriate punishment. The goal here is to punish anti-Israel protestors who demonstrated on college campuses. Γ’β¬ΕWe found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration...which suggests a blind eye attitude toward law enforcement,Γ’β¬ a State Department official told Axios. This Trump administration is all-in on using unproven AI systems to help it run the government. Under Elon Musk, DOGE has reportedly used AI to crawl through federal databases to hunt for places to cut spending and people to fire. The current run of large language models is pretty good at collecting data and bad at sorting it. Every AI system is encoded with the biases of the people who created it; they tend to give users the answers they want rather than an objective view of the data. The systems are also prone to hallucinations and false positives. The Trump administration is obsessed with policing speech, and perceived support of Palestine is a major taboo. Israel launched a brutal war in Gaza after Hamas attacked the country and killed and kidnapped civilians in 2023. The Israeli military has used AI to help it pick targets and sort through data in the war, a move that some members of the Israeli military have worried led to increased civilian casualties. Anti-war and pro-Palestine protests swept through many major college campuses as the war ramped up and became a popular talking point among conservative politicians and pundits. After he took office, Trump passed several executive orders he said were aimed at combating anti-semtism on college campuses. Many of TrumpΓ’β¬β’s executive orders and proposed actions on combating domestic terror threats and fighting antisemitism are overbroad. One of his early executive orders said it was the policy of the U.S. government to protect citizens from people who Γ’β¬Εespouse hateful ideologyΓ’β¬ without narrowly defining what that ideology is. During his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump touted a bill backed by his wife called the Γ’β¬ΕTake it Down Act.Γ’β¬ On the surface, the bill is about punishing people who post revenge porn and AI deep fakes. But experts like the Electronic Frontier Foundation worry the bill is overbroad and will allow Trump to silence his critics. Trump himself hinted at as much during his speech. Γ’β¬ΕThe Senate just passed the Take It Down Act,Γ’β¬ he said. Γ’β¬ΕOnce it passes the House, I look forward to signing that bill into law. And IΓ’β¬β’m going to use that bill for myself too if you donΓ’β¬β’t mind, because nobody gets treated worse than I do online, nobody.Γ’β¬ Taken together, the Take it Down Act and the use of AI by the State Department to retroactively punish protestors constitutes an attack on free speech and free expression powered by surveillance technology.
[4]
State Department Begins Canceling Visas of Pro-Terror Students, Plans To Use AI To Identify Visa-Holding Hamas Sympathizers
The department confirmed its first visa cancellation of a university student this week, noting that 'ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country.' The State Department, in its first move to follow through on one of President Trump's more aggressive approaches to tackling campus antisemitism, has canceled the visa of a foreign student who participated in a pro-terror protest. "Yesterday evening, we revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions," the State Department confirmed on Thursday in a statement to Fox News. "This individual was a university student. ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country." The department did not identify the student or the university due to "legal constraints." The announcement comes amid reports that the State Department plans to harness artificial intelligence to help identify pro-terror student visa holders. As part of the department's so-called "catch and revoke" effort, AI technology will scan through thousands of social media accounts in search of content that supports Hamas or other terrorist organizations, senior State Department officials told Axios. The department will also monitor the foreign nationals who have been named in antisemitism lawsuits filed by Jewish students. The State Department's effort, which officials described as a "whole of government and whole of authority approach" will be supported by both the departments of Justice and Homeland Security. "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security," Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declared on Thursday. "The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. law -- including international students -- face visa denial or revocation, and deportation." President Trump paved the way for the effort through several executive orders issued during his first month in office. The first order, titled "Protecting The United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats," calls on federal agencies to revoke the visas of foreigners who "threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology." Ten days later, Mr. Trump issued an order aimed at combating antisemitism. "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you," Mr. Trump wrote in a fact sheet for the measure. "I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before." The Trump administration has also sought to clamp down on campus antisemitism by threatening to withhold federal grants from universities that fail to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. That measure prohibits federally funded programs from discriminating based on "race, color, or national origin." In 2004, the protection was clarified to include religion by then-secretary for the Department of Education, Kenneth Marcus. Earlier this week, the Department of Education and two other federal agencies announced that they would be reviewing billions of dollars in federal contracts and grants issued to Columbia University amid an investigation into the school's "ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students." As part of the probe, Mr. Trump's antisemitism task force will consider issuing stop work orders for $51.4 million in ongoing government contracts and will evaluate whether the Ivy League university remains eligible to continue to receive more than $5 billion in federal funding commitments. Beyond Columbia, the task force is scheduled to visit nine other universities, including Harvard and New York University, regarding "allegations that the schools may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law."
[5]
US to revoke student visas over 'pro-Hamas' social media posts flagged by AI - report
State department launches AI-assisted reviews of accounts to look for what it perceives as Hamas supporters The US state department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Hamas, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior state department officials. Donald Trump signed an executive order in January to combat antisemitism and has pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that have been ongoing for months amid Israel's military assault on Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack. The AI-fueled "catch and revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, Axios reported. Officials will also check news reports of previous demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism. Some pro-Palestinian groups are Jewish themselves and many protesters have denounced antisemitism and Hamas. However, there have been incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests. Advocates worry that using artificial intelligence for surveillance could lead to errors, misidentifications and privacy violations. "This should concern all Americans. This is a first amendment and freedom of speech issue and the administration will overplay its hand," said Abed Ayoub, the executive director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "Americans won't like this. They'll view this as capitulating free speech rights for a foreign nation." The state department is working with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, according to Axios. The three departments had no immediate comment. Trump has said he will stop federal funding for educational institutions that allow what he called illegal protests. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or ... arrested," Trump said on Tuesday. The US constitution's first amendment protects freedom of speech and assembly. Rights advocates have condemned Trump's rhetoric towards protesters. On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union published an open letter urging colleges and universities to not bow to federal pressure to use surveillance or punish international students or faculty if they were involved in any campus protests. The group said the protests are constitutionally protected free speech. "It is disturbing to see the White House threatening freedom of speech and academic freedom on US college campuses so blatantly," said Cecillia Wang, legal director of the ACLU and co-author of the letter. "Trump's latest coercion campaign, attempting to turn university administrators against their own students and faculty, harkens back to the McCarthy era and is at odds with American constitutional values and the basic mission of universities." Washington has designated Hamas as a "foreign terrorist organization". The Islamist group's 2023 7 October attack killed 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. It has internally displaced nearly everyone there and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.
[6]
US to use AI to revoke visas of students perceived as Hamas supporters
The US State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who are perceived as supporters of Hamas terrorists, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials. The AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, the news website reported. Axios said officials were checking news reports of demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism.
[7]
Marco Rubio will use AI to revoke student visas of pro-Palestine protesters
The new State Department program, called "Catch and Revoke," will use AI to review the social media accounts of tens of thousands of students who are in the US on visas, Axios reports. State Department sources tell Axios that officials plan on combing through internal databases to see if any international students were arrested in pro-Palestine demonstrations since October 2023 -- and that the department is working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure a "whole of government and whole of authority approach."
[8]
State Department to deploy AI-powered 'catch and revoke' tools...
The State Department is reportedly embarking on an artificial intelligence-powered initiative to spot foreigners in the US who are sympathetic to Hamas or other terror organizations and revoke their visas. Using AI tools, officials intend to pore through the social media accounts of foreign student visas and assess whether there's evidence of sympathies toward Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, Axios reported. That effort, dubbed "Catch and Revoke," will reportedly encompass a review of news articles to spot names of foreign nationals who engaged in anti-semitic activity. "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security. The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists," Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday. "Violators of US law -- including international students -- face visa denial or revocation, and deportation." Authorities will also comb government databases to see whether the Biden administration permitted any visa holders who were arrested to remain within the country, per the report. The revelation comes after President Trump declared earlier this week that all federal funds will cease for institutions of higher education that permit "illegal protests." "Agitators will be imprisoned/ or permanently sent back to the country from which they came," he added on Truth Social. "American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested." The State Department's effort is part of a "whole of government" approach to combating anti-semitism and includes collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security as well as the Justice Department. "We found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration," one official told Axios, "which suggests a blind-eye attitude toward law enforcement." Officials had looked through 100,000 individuals in the student visa system since Oct. 2023 to gauge whether the Biden administration had pursued any revocations, Axios reported. There were an estimated 1.5 million active F-1 and M-1 student visas in 2023, according to data from the DHS. Rubio, 53, enjoys broad powers under the Immigration Nationality Act of 1952 to yank visas from foreigners considered to be a threat. As a senator, Rubio had called for the Biden administration to pull visas in response to the surge in anti-semitism across the country in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Back in January, as first reported by The Post, Trump, 78, had ordered federal agencies to flag "all civil and criminal authorities" at their disposal to combat anti-semitism. The executive order specifically called for visas to be revoked against foreign students who violated the law during the anti-Israel unrest that swept campuses across the country last year. "I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before," Trump declared in the executive order. Critics have raised free speech concerns, but a State Department official countered that "it would be negligent for the department that takes national security seriously to ignore publicly available information about [visa] applicants in terms of AI tools." Scores of Republicans in Congress have cheered Trump's push to crack down on anti-semitism on campuses. "We have a president who has a moral clarity about what freedom in America is all about," House Education Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) told The Post. "Dissent, demonstrations, etc on campuses are to be encouraged for freedom of speech, but not ... [when it] that takes away freedom and liberty for a certain set of students and teachers." Walberg argued that the red line for the protests is violence and laws such as the Civil Rights Act. The Post contacted the State Department for comment.
[9]
US to Use AI to Revoke Visas of Students Perceived as Hamas Supporters, Axios Reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who are perceived as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials. The AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, the news website reported. Axios said officials were checking news reports of demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism.
[10]
US to use AI to revoke visas of students perceived as Hamas supporters, Axios reports
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who are perceived as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials. The AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, the news website reported. Axios said officials were checking news reports of demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Artificial IntelligenceIsrael and Hamas at War
[11]
Scoop: State Dept. to use AI to revoke visas of foreign students who appear "pro-Hamas"
Why it matters: The effort -- which includes AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts -- marks a dramatic escalation in the U.S. government's policing of foreign nationals' conduct and speech. Officials plan to examine internal databases to see whether any visa holders were arrested but allowed to stay in the country during the Biden administration. Zoom in: To launch "Catch and Revoke," federal officials examined 100,000 people in the Student Exchange Visitor System since October 2023 to see if any visas had been revoked because the student been arrested or suspended from school. Zoom out: The Immigration Nationality Act of 1952 gives the secretary of state the authority to revoke visas from foreigners deemed to be a threat -- a point Rubio made as a senator eight days after Oct. 7. The big picture: The cumulative effect of Trump's executive orders is already having a chilling effect on student visa-holders. They're starting to shy away from protests critical of Israel. The backstory: Ayoub said "the blueprint" for the new program can be found in Operation Boulder of 1972, when the Nixon administration infiltrated and surveilled pro-Palestinian groups, which he said infringed on the rights of U.S. citizens as well as foreign nationals. The senior State Department official, however, said that "it would be negligent for the department that takes national security seriously to ignore publicly available information about [visa] applicants in terms of AI tools. ... AI is one of the resources available to the government that's very different from where we were technologically decades ago." Between the lines: The Trump administration's pro-Israel posture reflects his and Rubio's longstanding commitment toward the Jewish state, an issue of intense interest to white evangelicals. Voters tend to disfavor rallies critical of Israel, and in some surveys a plurality of voters doesn't distinguish between support for Hamas and support for the Palestinian people -- despite the efforts of some organizers.
[12]
US to reportedly use AI to revoke visas of students it sees as Hamas supporters
The US State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials. Fox News separately reported the State Department revoked the visa of a student who allegedly participated in what the department termed as "Hamas-supporting disruptions." The revocation marked the first such action, according to the report. The State Department was working with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Axios. The State Department did not comment directly on the reports but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media that the United States "has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists." He added that "violators of U.S. law - including international students - face visa denial or revocation, and deportation." The other two departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January to combat antisemitism and has pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that have been ongoing for months amid Israel's military assault on Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack. The AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, Axios reported. Axios said officials were checking news reports of demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism. The Fox News report did not mention any details about the person whose visa was revoked except that it was revoked on Wednesday, that the person was a university student and that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will proceed with removing that person from the country. It cited a State Department spokesperson. Some pro-Palestinian groups are Jewish themselves and many protesters have denounced antisemitism and Hamas. There have been incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests. The Trump administration has thus far announced no steps aimed at countering Islamophobia. Trump has said he will stop federal funding for educational institutions that allow what he called illegal protests. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or .. arrested," Trump said on Tuesday. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects freedom of speech and assembly. Free speech advocates like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and pro-Palestinian groups expressed alarm over the Axios report. AI tools "cannot be relied on to parse the nuances of expression about complex and contested matters like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Sarah McLaughlin, a scholar at the foundation, said. Washington has designated Hamas as a "foreign terrorist organization." The Islamist group's October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,200 people, with over 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. It has internally displaced nearly everyone there and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.
[13]
Marco Rubio Is Harnessing The Power Of AI To Cancel Visas Of Foreign Students With 'Pro-Hamas' Views: 'Catch And Revoke'
Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter The State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, is reportedly launching an AI-driven initiative to revoke the visas of foreign students who express views deemed supportive of Hamas. What Happened: In a policy shift, the State Department will deploy artificial intelligence to analyze the social media activity of student visa holders, searching for signs of sympathy toward Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations, reported Axios, citing senior officials. The effort, known as "Catch and Revoke," will also review past arrests, school suspensions, and media reports on anti-Israel demonstrations to determine whether a visa should be revoked. See Also: Hamas Releases Four Female Israeli Soldiers After More Than a Year in Captivity The initiative is being coordinated with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Officials say the move follows a review of 100,000 students in the Student Exchange Visitor System, which found that no visas had been revoked during the Joe Biden administration despite instances of student arrests. Rubio and other officials argue that prior policies allowed foreign nationals to engage in what they call extremist rhetoric without consequences. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: On Tuesday, during his Congressional address, President Donald Trump pledged to cut off federal funding to educational institutions that permit what he describes as unlawful protests. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or .. arrested," he stated at the time. Hamas is officially classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Last month, Israel announced plans to enter negotiations with Hamas to secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the release of remaining Israeli hostages. Photo Courtesy: Maxim Elramsisy on Shutterstock.com Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Blasts DOGE's Mass Firings, Says Musk-Led Cuts Are Like Using A Sledgehammer Instead Of A Scalpel Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
[14]
Donald Trump administration revokes first student visa over participation in pro-Hamas protests
A foreign student at a college has received a visa revocation from the US State Department because of their alleged support for Hamas. This decision comes after President Donald Trump's policy to suppress demonstrations against Israel which involve support for terrorist groups blacklisted by US authorities. Under the new enforcement policies, the United States government will pursue deportation and revoke visas from foreign students who take action in favour of terrorist organisations designated as terrorists. A State Department representative verified the first cancellation of a visa, which occurred due to the new policy that was announced, NY Post reported. An official statement said that the visa belonged to an individual who was previously cited for criminal behaviour in connection with Hamas-supporting activities. The student's identity, together with their nationality and their university, remains undisclosed due to legal constraints. Law enforcement has transferred the authority of this person to Immunization and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings. Also Read: S.W.A.T. called off for third time, Shemar Moore says CBS did not make the right choice Under its antisemitism crackdown, the State Department plans to employ AI for detecting Hamas sympathies in foreign students' social media communication. Through the "Catch and Revoke" program, the government plans to detect people demonstrating backing for listed terrorist organizations. Through its choices, this program works to block national security threats by taking away visas and sending away violators. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US government maintains its absolute refusal to accept foreign nationals who support terrorist activities. The supporters of identified terrorist groups like Hamas endanger the national security of this country, according to Rubio. Foreign visitors who support terrorists will receive no tolerance from United States authorities, as per his statement. The country will deny entry visas to foreign students, invalidate their visas, and deport them when they break US laws. The Trump administration plans to reduce federal money allocations from institutions that lack sufficient measures to stop anti-Israel protests. The administration has threatened to terminate over $50 million worth of government funding from Columbia University because officials say the university did not address demonstrations sufficiently. Also Read : Who is Ryan Wedding aka El Jefe, Olympian-turned-drug ring mastermind, added to FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives' list Violence on US college campuses has worsened since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in 2023 with protests involving property damage and student intimidation, as well as physical confrontations with police forces. What actions is the US government taking against pro-Hamas protesters? The government is cancelling visas, deporting foreign students involved in such protests, and threatening to cut federal funding for universities that allow illegal demonstrations.
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The US State Department plans to implement AI-assisted analysis of foreign students' social media accounts to identify and revoke visas of those suspected of supporting Hamas, sparking debates on free speech and national security.
The US State Department has announced plans to implement an artificial intelligence-driven program called "Catch and Revoke" to identify and potentially deport foreign students suspected of supporting Hamas. This initiative, part of the Trump administration's efforts to combat antisemitism, will involve AI-assisted analysis of social media accounts belonging to tens of thousands of student visa holders 1.
The State Department has already revoked the first visa of a foreign student linked to "Hamas-supporting disruptions" on a college campus. While the student's identity and nationality were not disclosed due to legal constraints, it was confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will proceed with removing this person from the country 3.
The "Catch and Revoke" effort will utilize AI technology to scan through thousands of social media accounts, searching for content that supports Hamas or other terrorist organizations. The State Department is coordinating this effort with the Justice and Homeland Security departments 2.
The initiative has sparked alarm among rights advocates, particularly concerning free speech and First Amendment protections. Organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have expressed concerns about relying on AI for assessments related to the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2.
The "Catch and Revoke" program follows an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump in January, aimed at combating antisemitism. Trump has pledged to deport non-citizen college students involved in pro-Palestinian protests and warned that educational institutions allowing "illegal protests" could lose federal funding 1.
This initiative comes amid ongoing tensions following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has led to over 48,000 Palestinian casualties and widespread displacement 5.
Critics argue that the use of AI for surveillance could lead to errors, misidentifications, and privacy violations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urged colleges and universities not to bow to federal pressure to use surveillance or punish international students involved in campus protests, emphasizing that such actions could infringe on constitutionally protected free speech 5.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the United States has "zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists," emphasizing that violators of US law face visa denial, revocation, and deportation 4. The administration is also reviewing federal contracts and grants to universities, including a potential $51.4 million in ongoing government contracts with Columbia University, amid investigations into the handling of antisemitism on campuses 4.
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