Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the US was implementing a “vigorous new visa policy” to prevent people from entering the US who are critical of Israel, which he conflates with antisemitism.
“We have implemented a vigorous new visa policy that will prevent foreign nationals from coming to the United States to foment hatred against our Jewish community,” Rubio said in a recorded video message to an Israeli conference on “combating antisemitism.”
Rubio said that the US will hold “international organizations and nations accountable for rhetoric against Israel.”
The Trump administration recently paused all interviews for foreigners seeking student visas as it prepares to expand vetting and screening of social media.
The Trump administration has been attempting to deport foreign students for protesting against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, activism that US officials have labeled “antisemitic” despite Jewish involvement in the demonstrations.
In one case, Rubio revoked the visa of a PhD student at Tufts University, Rumeysa Ozturk, for co-authoring an op-ed that called for her school to divest from Israeli companies. Ozturk was recently released after six weeks of detention and continues to fight against her deportation.
In a seemingly contradictory move, Rubio also announced a new policy to prevent foreign nationals who have been involved in censoring the speech of Americans from obtaining visas.
“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio said. “It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on US citizens or US residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on US soil.”
