Foreign Students Delete Social Media Posts as US Tightens Visa Screening

Foreign students hoping to study in the United States are increasingly deleting tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media content—especially anything critical of U.S. policies or politicians—amid a new directive from the Trump administration to expand visa vetting based on online activity.

One of them is Owolabi, a 23-year-old Nigerian student accepted to the University of New Haven for a master’s program in cybersecurity. After learning that U.S. embassies had paused new student visa appointments, he began erasing posts referencing Donald Trump, including those related to the former president’s derogatory 2018 remarks about African countries.

“I don’t know what’s safe to write anymore,” he said. “It feels like someone’s watching everything I do.”

In May, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed embassies worldwide to halt visa scheduling temporarily. The pause was part of a broader review of student visa procedures and a plan to intensify checks of applicants’ social media accounts.

The United States, a top destination for international students, has also taken steps to revoke visas and increase deportations. The crackdown even reached Ivy League institutions like Harvard, where a federal judge recently blocked Trump’s attempt to ban foreign students from entering the U.S. for certain programs.

Although U.S. visa applicants have had to disclose social media handles since 2019, rights experts say this latest expansion crosses new lines. Digital rights lawyer Khadijah El-Usman warns that online expressions—whether political jokes or personal opinions—could now be misread as threats.

“Humor or critique could be flagged unfairly,” she said. “It’s a troubling precedent for immigration and surveillance.”

Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, defended the policy shift, stating the U.S. was prepared to use “every tool” to screen entrants.

Digital freedom advocates say the growing surveillance is leading to a chilling effect. Many students now tailor their social media presence to align with U.S. political ideologies to avoid visa issues.

“People are afraid to speak their minds online,” said Mojirayo Ogunlana, director of the Nigerian advocacy group DiGiCiVic Initiative. “This silences young voices globally.”

Barbadian student Blackman, who was accepted to the University of Massachusetts, deleted his X and Facebook accounts after receiving a notice in May that his visa was on hold. Still, his past blog posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement remain accessible online.

“The internet was how we talked about injustice,” he said. “Now, it feels like I’m being punished for it.”