The Donald Trump administration has suspended new interview scheduling for student visa applicants in the United States. Concurrently, various media outlets report that efforts are underway to mandate social media vetting for foreign students.
NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Funding Cuts
Meanwhile, NPR, a US news organization, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. NPR filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
The organization alleges that Trump's executive order to cut government funding for the news outlet is illegal. Earlier, the US President accused NPR and PBS of biased news reporting.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) spends approximately $500 million annually on various government television and radio channels in the US. Of this, PBS and NPR receive 17% and 2% respectively. However, last month, the US President accused both media outlets of biased news reporting.
Following these accusations, Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other agencies to cease government support for NPR and PBS.
The lawsuit claims that Trump's executive order is unconstitutional, asserting it was issued to punish NPR for broadcasting news and programs the President dislikes. The lawsuit further states that this order infringes upon the rights guaranteed to NPR and independent public radio stations under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
New Social Media Vetting for Student Visas
Separately, the Trump administration has instructed US embassies worldwide to suspend scheduling interviews for student and exchange program visas.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, this directive was issued as part of preparations to soon introduce a strict social media vetting process for foreign applicants.
The US State Department announced in a statement on Tuesday that "no additional student or exchange visitor visa appointments can be scheduled until further notice."
Under this new process, applicants' posts, shares, and comments across various platforms, including Instagram, X, and TikTok, will be scrutinized to ensure there is nothing that poses a threat to national security.
Experts believe this new directive could adversely affect the enrollment of international students in US universities, particularly those that are financially dependent on foreign student tuition.
