Officers are instructed to view such activity as \u201coverwhelmingly negative,\u201d and to refer cases involving \u201cpotential anti-American and\/or antisemitic conduct or ideology\u201d to their superiors.<\/p>\n
One example cited as potential grounds to reject an application was a mock-up of a social media post demanding to \u201cStop Israeli Terror in Palestine,\u201d the Times reported. Another showed a map of Israel with the country\u2019s name crossed out and replaced with \u201cPalestine,\u201d while another said Israelis should \u201ctaste what people in Gaza are tasting.\u201d<\/p>\n
DHS also told immigration officers to pay particular attention to anyone who took part in the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campus protests in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, the report said. The agents were told to examine whether applicants promoted antisemitism \u201cthrough rhetorical or physical actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you hate America, you have no business demanding to live in America,\u201d Zach Kahler, a spokesman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles green card applications, told the Times. Green card holders are allowed to legally reside in the US and have a path to citizenship.<\/p>\n Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told the Times that the Trump administration\u2019s restrictions had \u201cnothing to do with free speech.\u201d She said they aimed to protect \u201cAmerican institutions, the safety of citizens, national security and the freedoms of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The reported policy is part of a raft of recent White House actions to combat antisemitism and criticism of Israel, including via immigration policy. Since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration has sought to revoke anti-Israel campus protesters\u2019 student visas and has reportedly weighed reviewing tourists\u2019 social media histories.<\/p>\n A directive<\/a> last year from USCIS tells agents to examine whether aspiring immigrants \u201csupport or promote anti-American ideologies or activities, antisemitic terrorism and antisemitic terrorist organizations, or\u2026 promote antisemitic ideologies.\u201d<\/p>\n The Times report noted that although ideology has always played a part when vetting green card applicants, it had previously only impacted people belonging to communist or other totalitarian parties, or who had supported violent or unconstitutional calls to overthrow the US government.<\/p>\n The reported new policy comes amid the Trump administration\u2019s broader immigration crackdown, which has targeted undocumented immigrants for deportation along with reducing legal immigration. According to the Times, green card approvals have fallen by half in recent months.<\/p>\n The administration has also said it is combating antisemitism by suing or withholding funding from universities over their response to campus anti-Israel activism. US Jewish groups are divided over those actions, with some praising the administration for protecting Jewish students and others criticizing an infringement on free speech and civil liberties that they worry will make Jews on campus less safe.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tStudents and faculty rally at the University of California, Berkeley campus to protest the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on universities over antisemitism, on March 19, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo\/Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez)<\/p>\n
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