US Plans Social Media Scrutiny for Foreign Students Amid Enrollment Concerns

The Trump administration is planning to increase scrutiny of foreign students applying to study in the United States by inspecting their social media accounts, with potential visa application delays resulting from this policy. This move, which may target students expressing pro-Palestinian views, has led to suspensions in visa processing by U.S. embassies and risks significantly reducing the number of foreign students, who numbered over 1.1 million in the 2023/2024 academic year. Experts, including economist Paul Krugman and former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, warn that such policies could undermine U.S. innovation and economic leadership by disrupting the inflow of international talent that fuels research, job creation, and business growth at elite universities like Harvard. The administration's confrontational stance toward institutions like Harvard, including calls to cut funding and labeling the university a "threat to democracy," exemplifies the heightened tensions impacting higher education. Critics argue that these policies threaten the U.S.'s competitive edge in the global economy by eroding a vital pipeline of international students and scholars. The debate highlights the broader consequences of politicizing student admissions in the context of national security and ideological concerns.