U.S. resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
NPR Online News5 days
Enhanced screening protects national security by identifying potentially hostile individuals before they enter the country. The comprehensive vetting ensures proper screening of every person attempting to visit America, addressing legitimate concerns about foreign students who may harbor anti-American sentiments or engage in activities contrary to U.S. interests.
This policy transforms consular officers into censors and will inevitably chill legitimate political speech both inside and outside the United States. The social media requirement evokes troubling parallels to Cold War ideological vetting that once excluded prominent intellectuals and artists from America.