EFF, Unions Sue Trump Over 'Catch and Revoke'

The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a federal lawsuit in New York on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America and United Auto Workers alleging the Trump administration's 'Catch and Revoke' social-media surveillance program uses AI and other tools to scour posts by more than 55 million visa holders and other noncitizen residents and unlawfully targets viewpoints it disfavors. The complaint says the program chills union members' speech, seeks an injunction to stop the program and asks courts to purge records created under it. Plaintiffs point to State Department posts citing six visa revocations over celebratory social posts about the killing of commentator Charlie Kirk and to newly announced round-the-clock monitoring centers as evidence of an aggressive enforcement campaign. The administration defends the policy, arguing noncitizens do not enjoy the same constitutional protections and visas may be revoked to protect public safety. The filing is the first to directly challenge the 'Catch and Revoke' surveillance program itself and follows a separate federal ruling in Boston that found prior visa-revocation practices violated foreign students' free-speech rights. The suit frames the program as an unlawful effort to intimidate and silence legally present immigrants.