The US State Department is set to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and revoke visas of foreign students suspected of supporting Palestinian Hamas militants. This initiative, dubbed “Catch and Revoke,” will involve AI-assisted reviews of social media accounts belonging to tens of thousands of student visa holders.
The AI system will analyse posts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to detect any content that suggests support for Hamas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised that the US has “zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists” and that violators of US law, including international students, could face visa denial, revocation, and deportation.
This move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January aimed at combating antisemitism. The order pledges to expel non-citizen college students and others involved in pro-Palestinian protests, which have intensified amid Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The State Department is coordinating this effort with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. The first known instance of visa revocation under this initiative occurred recently, with a student’s visa being revoked for allegedly participating in what the department termed as “Hamas-supporting disruptions”.
Civil rights organisations have expressed concern over the use of AI for such purposes, arguing that AI tools may not accurately interpret complex political speech. Sarah McLaughlin, a scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, stated that AI cannot reliably assess nuanced discussions on contentious issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As the US ramps up its efforts to scrutinize visa holders based on their online activity, the implications for international students and the broader debate on free speech and privacy continue to unfold.
Washington has designated Hamas as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
The Islamist group’s October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,200 people, with over 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. It has internally displaced nearly everyone there and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.
With agency inputs.