Iranian students, researchers sue Trump admin. for rummaging visa applicants’ social media records

Fifteen Iranian students and researchers have filed a federal lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump, challenging the State Department's suspension of student visa interviews pending scrutiny of applicants’ social media records.

The plaintiffs, who had secured admission to prominent US universities such as Yale, Ohio State, and the University of South Florida, argue that the indefinite pause violates federal rule-making laws, American website The Verge reported.

Filed in a Virginia federal court, the complaint names Secretary of State Marco Rubio and finds fault with the administration for unlawfully halting visa interviews as it expands efforts to scrutinize applicants' social media accounts.

The students, all accepted into graduate programs in fields including computer science, engineering, and finance, had already undergone visa interviews -- some more than a year ago.

Their applications, however, remain stuck in a phase of so-called "national security vetting."

‘Trump closing door to students not aligning with his policies’

According to attorneys Curtis Morrison and Hamdi Masri, who represent the plaintiffs, the policy contradicts the Administrative Procedure Act, which prohibits arbitrary changes to administrative procedures.

Since May 2019, the State Department has required visa applicants to disclose their social media handles.

But Masri noted that nationals from certain Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, had been subjected to particularly intensive scrutiny.

"President Trump’s policies seem aimed at filtering out students who don’t align with his political worldview," Masri said in an email.

Rubio's broader campaign against international students

The visa freeze comes amid a broader series of actions targeting foreign students and academic institutions.

On the same day the Iranian students filed their suit, Rubio announced plans to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke visas for Chinese nationals affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields.

In another high-profile move, the DHS recently revoked Harvard University's access to a federal database used to monitor international student enrollment, threatening the legal status of nearly 6,800 students until a federal court intervened.

Rubio has also targeted students involved in pro-Palestinian activism.

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping campaign against international students, particularly those protesting against the US’s support for the Israeli regime amid Tel Aviv’s war of genocide on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 54,320 Palestinians.

New Homeland Security measures include land border checkpoints and the use of biometric surveillance technologies to track departing students, especially those leaving through Canada or Mexico.

US introduces land border checkpoints, biometric surveillance in new crackdown on pro-Palestine students

The Trump administration has introduced a new set of measures, including land border checkpoints and biometric surveillance.

Officials have confirmed that hundreds of students have already lost their legal status for protesting, publishing, or posting about Israeli atrocities.

Border agents now use facial recognition and ID-matching systems to monitor outbound traffic.

In March, Rubio introduced an AI-driven “catch and revoke” program to review the social media activity of foreign students for supporting Palestinian resistance movements.

Trump has also signed an executive order to expel non-citizen student activists involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

More than 1,000 international students have reportedly lost their legal status since March.

Earlier in May, Harvard University filed its own lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that recent federal actions unlawfully target the institution for defying White House directives.

Harvard sues Trump administration over ban on foreign students

Harvard University has sued the Trump administration for barring the institution from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political orders.

The complaint cites constitutional violations, pointing to a suspension of the university’s Exchange Visitor Program and the government’s efforts at scrutinizing support for Palestinians and pro-China activism within the institution.

The government has demanded Harvard turn over records of foreign students involved in protests, threatening further legal and financial penalties.

University officials have vowed to resist, what they have denounced as, an authoritarian assault on academic freedom and student rights.

In response to the lawsuit, a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order halting some of the DHS’ actions, pending further review.

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