Immigrants Face New Scrutiny as Trump Targets 'Hostile' Social Media Attitudes in Green Card Vetting

President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to expand social media surveillance of immigrants applying for green cards, asylum, or U.S. citizenship, raising concerns among civil rights advocates about potential infringements on free speech and privacy rights.

The Intercept reports that the new policy by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy would expand existing social media monitoring, previously limited to foreign visa applicants, to individuals already residing in the U.S. Critics warn this could disproportionately affect Muslim and Arab communities, particularly those expressing support for Palestinian human rights.

According to USCIS, the collection of social media identifiers is necessary to "enable and help inform identity verification, national security and public safety screening, and vetting, and related inspections."

The agency cited Executive Order 14161, signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, which mandates "rigorous vetting and screening" to prevent the entry or presence of individuals who may support terrorism or pose a threat to national security. The order also calls for identifying immigrants with "hostile attitudes" toward the U.S. government, culture, or institutions, as The Intercept reports.

Saira Hussain, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed concern to The Intercept that the lack of limits on how the data could be used may lead to the government using artificial intelligence tools to suppress speech it deems objectionable:

"Anybody who is within the bounds of the United States has First Amendment rights. The Constitution applies whether you are somebody who is a citizen or somebody who is a green card holder who is here in the United States. I think that this administration is trying to chip away at that notion, but that is very much what First Amendment jurisprudence has been under the courts"

Recent efforts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to monitor social media activity have also drawn scrutiny. A previous report by The Intercept published on February 11 and based on federal procurement documents, revealed that ICE is soliciting private contractors for services that would monitor social media for "behavioral and social media sentiment" and track negative references to ICE leadership and operations.

The initiative includes facial recognition and the potential collection of personal details such as Social Security numbers and addresses. ICE claims the surveillance is needed due to increased threats against its personnel.