A directive with far-reaching consequences: The U.S. State Department has suspended the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students - effective immediately. The move is justified by plans to expand the vetting of applicants’ social media activity. But what appears to be a bureaucratic interim step is, in truth, part of an ideological campaign against education, diversity, and international openness.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the internal memo, which prohibits any further student visa appointments until new guidelines on social media vetting are issued. Existing appointments remain valid - for now. On Tuesday, department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the U.S. would “use every available tool to screen those who seek to enter the country.” The tone: harsh. The message: mistrust is standard.
Previously, the Trump administration had already stripped Harvard of its ability to enroll international students - an unprecedented assault that was temporarily blocked in court. Earlier this spring, the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already enrolled in U.S. institutions, prompting many to leave the country in fear of deportation. After numerous successful lawsuits, the government announced it would restore their legal status - but simultaneously tightened the criteria for future revocations. The strategy remains the same: deterrence through uncertainty.
What is unfolding now is more than an administrative decision. It is the quiet decoupling of the United States from the world. Enrollment windows for summer and fall terms are closing - with each passing day of this visa freeze. For universities that rely on international students paying full tuition, a financial earthquake looms.
What remains is a country that once thrived on exchange - and is now shuttering its windows. Science will suffer. And so will the world.
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