US using AI to spy on students; even Instagram likes can get one deported

Hundreds of students have received emails stating that their F1, M1 and J1 visas have been cancelled and that they should self-deport themselves. This comes as the Trump administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian activism and anti-Semitic activities on university campuses. The US government is using AI technology to identify and deport foreign students who "appear to support" Hamas and other designated terror groups.

That programme to spy on international students with AI tech is being led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senior State Department officials told Axios. A week after the Axios report, The Times of India said that around 300 international students received emails stating that their visas had been cancelled.

"At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve got rid of all of them," Rubio said on March 27. "But we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up." He added, "I encourage every country to do that, by the way, because I think it’s crazy to invite students into your country that are coming onto your campus and destabilising it", according to a New York Times report.

In total, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report, the US hosted a record 1.1 million international students in the 2023-24 academic year, with over 330,000 from India.

The F1 visa is for academic students, M1 is for vocational students, and J1 is for exchange visitors to the US.

Social media accounts are being scanned for evidence of alleged terrorist sympathies expressed after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Axios reported.

As part of this effort, AI-assisted reviews have been and are being conducted on thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, significantly tightening the government’s scrutiny of foreign nationals.

This comes as in the US, under the Immigration and ity Act of 1952, the Secretary of State has the power to revoke visas of foreigners deemed a threat.

If "derogatory information" is found, Fraud Prevention Units take screen grabs in case applicants change their online presence. Even without problematic content, the record the review was conducted on has to be stated in the records, The TOI report added.

Authorities are also checking internal databases to identify visa holders who were arrested but remained in the US under the previous Biden administration.

In a visa revocation notice, the US Department of State informs the student that, without lawful immigration status, the student might be in detention, or have to pay a fine or have future visa ineligibility. Their US passports have to be surrendered to a US embassy for physical cancellation of their visas.

But the current policy is a break from the previous student policy on visa revocation wherein F-1 and J-1 students held visas till "Duration of Status" (D/S), often seen on an I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, meaning they could stay in the US as long as one has the current visa status and related documents. Under the Trump administration, students are seeing immediate visa revocation and removal from the US.

AI CANCELLING VISAS, SCANNED MORE THAN 10,000 PROFILES

Since October 2023, federal officials have scanned the profiles of 100,000 individuals in the Student Exchange Visitor System to determine if any visas were revoked due to participation in protests, suspensions, or arrests. Once alerted about a suspension or arrest, a consular officer decides on visa revocation.

"We found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration," one official told Axios, calling it a "blind-eye attitude toward law enforcement."

Rubio had pushed for such visa revocations just eight days after the October 7 attack, stating, "We see people marching at our universities and in the streets of our country ... calling for Intifada, celebrating what Hamas has done ... Those people need to go."

TRUMP ECHOED RUBIO 'S STANCE ON PRO-HAMAS PROTESTORS

Former President Donald Trump echoed this stance on January 30: "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice. We will find you, and we will deport you."

An executive order issued on January 20 also referenced foreign nationals who "threaten our national security and espouse hateful ideology."

Amid this crackdown, some student organisations in the US are growing concerned.

"This should alarm all Americans. This is a First Amendment and freedom of speech issue, and the administration will overplay its hand," said Abed Ayoub, head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

"Americans won’t like this. They’ll see it as sacrificing free speech rights for a foreign nation."

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