On Wednesday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would begin screening the social media activity of immigrants for “antisemitism” as part of the Trump administration’s broad crackdown on pro-Palestine speech.
The USCIS, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said it would start considering “aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.”
The USCIS said it would immediately impact “aliens applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students, and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.”
The “antisemitic activity” is a reference to pro-Palestine protests on college campuses that have been labeled “antisemitic” despite the fact that Jewish students and organizations have been involved in the demonstrations.
When screening social media activity, the Trump administration is likely using a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel. In a 2019 executive order, which was referenced in the USCIS statement, President Trump directed all federal agencies to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and the organization’s list of examples of “contemporary antisemitism” when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The IHRA’s examples of “contemporary antisemitism” includes “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” It also lists applying “double standards” to Israel by “requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” and “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” by “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is a proponent of the IHRA definition. Last year, when she was still South Dakota’s governor, she signed a bill into law that required the IHRA definition of antisemitism to be considered in investigations of unfair or discriminatory practices within the state.
Critics of the Trump administration’s announcement pointed out that even if some social media activity was considered antisemitic under a traditional definition of the word, it would still be protected speech under the First Amendment.
“As of today, DHS is making it official policy to surveil social media for ‘antisemitic’ sentiment and deport noncitizens accordingly,” Jenin Younes, a civil liberties attorney, wrote on X. “Keep in mind that the Trump Admin has re-defined antisemitism to include criticism of Israel and Zionism, but anyway true antisemitic speech, just like racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic & Islamophobic speech is 1A protected.”
Younes added that the US government “should have no role in policing social media for such speech & punishing the speakers.”
Freedumb.
Fascism is in the Musk family tree. His grandparents used to support Hitler, and Musk's family were supporters of apartheid and fascist states. Elon Musk openly supports the AdF neo-Nazi party.
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THIS PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH. F%$@ THE UNITED SNAKES OF ISRAEL.
Frankly, I don´t care so much about foreign students losing their visas. They chose to study in the US because they thought that was good for themselves, so for self-interested reasons. But they should have known about the decades long conduct of the US regime abroad and domestically. And they did not choose to boycott the US – in their case by not studying there – as long as the US regime is in power.
Self interest and foreign interference? Look closer to home:
Aaron Maté ® @aaronimate
13h
During an off-the-record panel, AlPAC's CEO detailed his organization's grooming of Trump's top national security officials, and how his group's "access" ensures they continue to follow Israel's agenda.
Big story from @MaxBlumenthal:
AIPAC leader boasts of special 'access' to top
Trump natsec officials in leaked audio – The Grayzone
During an off-the-record panel, AIPAC's CEO detailed his organization's grooming of Trump's top national security officials, and how his group's "access" ensures they continue to follow Israel's agenda.
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/04/09/aipac-access-trump-natsec-officials-leaked/
https://x.com/aaronjmate/status/1910103787382907236
'Asked about his greatest concern, an AIPAC panelist whom The Grayzone has not been able to identify pointed to academia and social media. According to the clearly seasoned Israel lobbyist, Israel was losing “the war of ideas” to a collection of professors and influencers with outsized influence among the future generation of America’s intelligentsia.
“Imagine five years from now, a staff, a congressional staffer, types into AI Claude, GBT, at that one. GBT, 14, whatever says, ‘Is supporting Israel bad for American national security?’ The answer that they get back is going to be informed by the information that’s on the internet today, which is why punching back in the information sphere becomes so important,” the Israel lobbyist urged.'
Remember this?
Hasbara Hitch: Pro-Israel Social Media Bot Goes Rogue, Calls IDF Soldiers ‘White Colonizers in Apartheid Israel’
https://archive.ph/vNsgZ
Hasbara is losing the information war even against their own bots! Time to deport, silence and intimidate anyone who stands for truth.
I disagree.
Knowing something is shitty, so you should keep your mouth shut, is the epitome of consenting to censorship and punishment of wrong think. Immigrants have the same constitutional rights as citizens. But as we have seen, it starts with those easier to condemn (through disparaging propaganda) but never ends there.
These people came here legally to study. They didn’t come with the express purpose of protest. And even if they did, there is something very very sick about punishing people on the correct side of an issue; being against genocide.
"True democracy is the resistance of people armed with the truth, against lies"
Julian Assange
Well, I agree with all of that.
For me that is the second stage of the argument.
In the first place, in their place I would not have chosen to study in the US. Once they are there, I agree with you.
You don't have much of a point… The student came to US to study because US used to have independent agencies, in this case Universities, that act independent of US government…! Trump changed All of That…!
I'm willing to agree that I don´t have much of a point. Just about a choice I would make or not make.
Still, for the sake of discussion, some points.
Two articles on Internationalist 360°
The impotence of US protests and how “Jewish” anti-Zionists avoid directly challenging Zionists
"In his latest interview, Laith condemns the impotent and theatrical protest movement in the United States and specifically challenges anti-Zionist Jews to awaken from their stupor."
The speaker is of the opinion that the protest movement does not go far enough.
Against bourgeois pacifism in the face of genocide
The author is of the opinion that pacifism will not bring the solution. He also criticizes the 'slogan' of 'resilience' (interesting insight, I think).
According to those two, the resistance is not-big-enough-a-deal. Maybe the philosopher would call it 'spectacle', not 'substance' .
Really? During Biden there already was heavy suppression of protests on campuses.
And according to Ray McGovern 'A' in MICIMATT is for Academia – involved in the Deep State.
@disqus_qhuce9v5DO:disqus@existentialdread:disqus
Idiot occupation force searching for antisemantics.
Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald
15h
Censorship happens when one powerful faction starts losing the debate. Out of panic, they conclude the only option is to silence growing dissent against them. That's what is happening now.
But as we saw with liberal censorship, that just makes the backlash and resentment worse.
https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1910061654521282738
~Julian Assange
"Censorship happens when one powerful faction starts losing the debate. Out of panic, they conclude the only option is to silence growing dissent against them."
Gotta dissent with the fearless Glenn Greenwald on this one.
Censorship a 'panicked' reaction of political power as it starts 'losing the debate' – doomed to a greater 'backlash'?
Regrettably, not the only way of interpreting "what is happening now."
Repression is an act of state power. Censorship is one type of repression. And, regardless of whether repression is physical or legal or political – or by state- vs state-aligned actors…
…and regardless of whether repression is 'panicked' or 'deliberate'….
…as acts of state power go, it typically has a mass political base, it can be highly destructive to democratic political resistance (its purpose)…
…it can just as well be a marker not of 'loss of control,' but of descent into autocracy…
…and 'fraid I see no 'pendulum-type' law ensuring a self-correcting backlash.
The backlash and pendulum shift will be the collapse of empire.
One can only hope, and keep speaking truth.
"Censorship happens when one powerful faction starts losing the debate. Out of panic, they conclude the only option is to silence growing dissent against them."
Gotta dissent with the fearless Glenn Greenwald on this one.
Censorship a 'panicked' reaction of political power as it starts 'losing the debate' – doomed to a greater 'backlash'?
Regrettably, not the only way of interpreting "what is happening now."
Repression is an act of state power. Censorship is one type of repression. And, regardless of whether repression is physical or legal or political – or by state- vs state-aligned actors…
…and regardless of whether repression is 'panicked' or 'deliberate'….
…as acts of state power go, it typically has a mass political base, it can be highly destructive to democratic political resistance (its purpose)…
…it can just as well be a marker not of 'loss of control,' but of descent into autocracy…
…and 'fraid I see no 'pendulum-type' law ensuring a self-correcting backlash.
USCIS is not large enough to do this on their own…! That's when NSA comes to play…!
…And who can tell they wouldn't screen everyone, not just immigrants…!
“the Trump administration is likely using a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel”
This is directly taken from the IHRA definition of antisemitism:
“However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
Since when does the 1st Amendment right to free speech apply to a non-American posting on his Facebook page anywhere on the planet?
“Since when does the 1st Amendment right to free speech apply to a non-American posting on his Facebook page anywhere on the planet?”
There is no “1st Amendment right to free speech.” There is a “1st Amendment prohibition on the government violating the right to free speech.” That prohibition has no “unless it’s on Facebook” or “unless it takes place in a particular country” exceptions.
Territorial Scope:
The First Amendment, like other provisions of the Constitution, primarily applies within the United States and its territories.
Citizenship and Residency:
The protections afforded by the First Amendment are generally extended to U.S. citizens and those residing within the United States, regardless of their citizenship status.
Foreign Citizens:
Non-citizens residing outside of the United States are not subject to the protections of the First Amendment.
“Non-citizens residing outside of the United States are not subject to the protections of the First Amendment.”
The First Amendment forbids Congress (and the doctrine of incorporation forbids other levels of government) to abridge freedom of speech, full stop.
Non-citizens residing outside the United States are only “not subject to the protections of the First Amendment” because they’re not subject to the government of the United States at all.
It would behoove governments to support religious tolerance and not the opposite as they do when they turn political criticism of Israel into anti-Semitism which is really ethnic racism made religious. Religion is misused to justify the evil, the cruelty of materialism, the real causes of wars.
Religion has become a profitable business, Shiites against Sunnis, Catholics against Protestants, the same is true of Judaism.
Palestine could have been one state of Palestinians/Israelis living side by side if the Zionists had wanted it.