U.S. federal officials to vet social media accounts of visa applicants heading to Harvard

Federal officials are set to start reviewing the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at or visit Harvard University.

Federal officials are set to start reviewing the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism, marking the latest development in a clash between the Trump administration and the Ivy League school.

A cable sent Friday signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press accused the university of failing to keep violence and antisemitism off campus. It said the vetting measure will help consular officers identify applicants with a history of those offenses “and to duly consider their visa eligibility under U.S. immigration law.”

The measure was sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates, and it takes effect immediately. It will serve as a pilot program that could be expanded more broadly, according to the cable.

Harvard did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

The university was the first to openly defy White House demands for changes at elite schools the administration has criticized as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.

Since then, the federal government has stripped the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university of $2.6 billion in federal grants, forcing it to self-fund much of its research operation. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to revoke the university of its tax-exempt status.

Last week, Harvard sued the federal government after U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked its ability to host foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A federal judge has since blocked the move.