Increased visa vetting for travelers to Harvard University ordered by U.S. State Department

Investing.com -- The U.S. State Department has instructed all its overseas consular missions to start additional vetting of visa applicants planning to travel to Harvard University for any reason. The order was issued in a cable dated May 30, sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts, and was seen by news outlets on Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed the immediate implementation of this new procedure.

The increased scrutiny will affect a wide range of applicants, including prospective students, current students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists. The directive stated that Harvard University had "failed to maintain a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism," according to the Department of Homeland Security. The enhanced vetting measures aim to help consular officers identify visa applicants with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence.

In addition to the increased vetting, consular officers are directed to question the credibility of applicants if their social media accounts are private. Officers are instructed to ask applicants to make their accounts public.

The first reports of these additional measures were made by Fox News. However, the cable itself had not been previously reported. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.

This move is a part of the Trump administration’s escalating actions to tighten immigration control. It follows Rubio’s recent order to halt the scheduling of new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. Earlier this week, the top U.S. diplomat also announced that Washington would begin revoking the visas of Chinese students linked to the Chinese Communist Party and those working in critical areas.

The Trump administration has intensified its actions against Harvard University, one of the nation’s oldest and wealthiest institutions. It has frozen billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposed to end its tax-exempt status, and initiated an investigation into whether the university discriminated against white, Asian, male, or straight employees or job applicants.

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