U.S. halts new student visa interviews as it weighs social media vetting

Trump administration halts student visa interviews, cancels $100 million in Harvard contracts, citing liberal bias and antisemitism concerns.

The Trump administration has ordered a halt to new student visa interviews as it considers requiring foreign students to undergo social media vetting as part of their application to study in the United States, Politico reported on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), citing a diplomatic cable.

The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, a senior administration official said Tuesday (May 27, 2025), intensifying the president’s clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.

The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies.

A draft letter from the General Services Administration directs agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate vendors. The administration plans to send a version of the letter on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

The New York Times first reported on the letter.

President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. The school filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership, governance and admissions policies. Since then, the administration has slashed the school’s federal funding, moved to cut off enrollment of international students and threatened its tax-exempt status.

The administration has identified about 30 contracts across nine agencies to be reviewed for cancellation, according to another administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly and provided details on the condition of anonymity.