The Daily Populous Wednesday December 10th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by bbc.co.uk and submitted by ContentsMayVary

The Trump administration previously announced it would examine social media accounts when vetting foreign nationals who apply for student visas or H1B visas for skilled workers.

The state department said it will conduct "online presence" reviews for applicants and their dependents, and that privacy settings on all social media profiles must be made "public" so this screening can take place.

An announcement on the website for the US Embassy and Consulate in Mexico states certain visa applicants must list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used in the last five years.

It warns that if any social media information is not listed, it could lead to both current and future visas being denied.

A senior state department official said of the student visa policy: "It is an expectation from American citizens that their government will make every effort to make our country safer, and that is exactly what the Trump Administration is doing every single day."

Officers were instructed to screen for those "who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who perpetrate unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence".

As part of the administration's broader effort to toughen borders, officials recently said an existing travel ban - affecting 19 countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean - could soon be expanded.

That move was announced in the wake of a shooting attack on two National Guard members in Washington DC, in which an Afghan man has been named as the suspect.

The new proposal regarding ESTA data collection for tourists invites views from the public for 60 days.

Sophia Cope, of digital rights organisation the Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticised the plan, telling the New York Times that it could "exacerbate civil liberties harms".

Meanwhile, immigration law practice Fragomen suggested there could be practical impacts as applicants could face longer waits for ESTA approvals.

Experts have previously suggested that the changes to travel policies introduced under Trump have had an impact on the American tourism industry.

Earlier this year, the World Travel & Tourism Council said the US was the only one of 184 economies that it analysed that was expected to see a decline in international visitor spending in 2025.

Other Trump administration policies have also appeared to impact tourism to the country, such as many Canadians boycotting US travel as a form of protest against Trump's tariffs.

October marked the 10th straight month of decline in the number of Canadian travellers to the US. In the past, Canadians have made up about a quarter of all international visitors to the US, spending more than $20bn (£15.1bn) a year, according to the US Travel Association.

momentimori on December 10th, 2025 at 12:18 UTC »

Foreign tourists will just spend their money in other countries.

steve_ample on December 10th, 2025 at 12:18 UTC »

I deny you an entry visa on the basis of thought crimes.

IDreamOfSailing on December 10th, 2025 at 11:59 UTC »

It has zero to do with national security, and everything to do with "did you say something bad about Dear Leader".