State Department to ramp up screening, social media vetting for student visa applicants as interviews paused
The State Department is planning to bolster its efforts to vet and screen the social media of those applying for international student and exchange visitor visas to ensure applicants don’t pose a national security threat to the U.S., Fox News Digital has learned. To do this, the State Department is temporarily suspending new student and exchange visitor visa interviews as it evaluates enhanced social media screenings for the application process. The effort is the latest initiative from the Trump administration to crack down on immigration and revoke visas of those attending academic institutions in the U.S. Those who’ve publicly supported Palestine have faced increased scrutiny, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests. The Trump administration has accused students who’ve participated in these protests of supporting Hamas — a designated foreign terrorist organization. The State Department is currently examining existing operations that go into screening and vetting student and exchange visa applications, and “based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” according to a Tuesday email obtained by Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADMIN STEPS UP OVERHAUL OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, WEEKS AFTER WALTZ’S DEPARTURE As a result, the State Department is instructing consular sections to pause adding any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued, “in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting,” the email said. “The next step is for posts to evaluate operations and processes in preparation for this expanded social media vetting of all student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants,” said the email. “Appointments already scheduled can proceed under current guidelines,” the email said. “However, appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable, should be immediately removed from availability.” RUBIO FIRES BACK AFTER DEM SENATOR SAYS HE REGRETS VOTING FOR HIM, SPARKING TENSE EXCHANGE The email does not specify what additional steps would be involved in the more stringent social media screening process, but says that consular offices have been instructed to refer certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants to the Fraud Prevention Unit for a “mandatory social media check.” The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on what the existing social media policy is for applicants. Meanwhile, Rubio told lawmakers May 20 that he expects that the State Department has already pulled thousands of visas since January following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. That’s up from the 300 the administration had revoked as of late March. Rubio also said that his agency would continue to pull student visas, stating that a visa is not a right, it’s a “privilege.” “I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign affairs. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.” Meanwhile, Democrats have said that the Trump administration’s effort to revoke visas is a violation of due process. “I do think it’s a fundamental attack on freedom, because due process is the guardian of the gate to keep a government from taking away people’s life or liberty, and liberty is what happens when you take away a visa without due process,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told Rubio May 20. A student visa allows those outside the U.S. to study in the country for a specific amount of time at an academic institution. In contrast, a green card allows an individual already in the U.S. who is not an American citizen to remain in the country. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’ The State Department’s effort aligns with executive orders that Trump signed in January to protect the U.S. from foreign terrorists and other national security threats, as well as one that aims to combat antisemitism, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. One of the executive orders instructs the State Department, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, the attorney general, and the director of national intelligence, to “vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.” Additionally, the other executive order states that the U.S. will use “all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”
Trump admin asks SCOTUS to authorize rapid migrant deportations to countries other than their own
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to intervene and allow it to quickly deport illegal immigrants to countries other than their own, Fox News has learned. The request from the Justice Department comes after a lower-court judge, Brian Murphy, issued an injunction last month that halted the Trump administration’s attempts to rapidly deport immigrants residing illegally in the United States to third-party countries not their own. In the ruling, Murphy said the Trump administration must provide “meaningful” notice to immigrants it wishes to deport to third-party countries, so they have adequate time to challenge their deportation. The Justice Department’s request follows a separate Monday evening ruling from Murphy, rejecting the Trump administration’s request that his injunction be lifted, in order for deportations to continue while the merits of his ruling are adjudicated. Due to Murphy’s rejection, the Trump administration sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, asking it to upend the injunction itself. UPENDING US BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP WOULD HAVE DRASTIC NEGATIVE IMPACT, DEFENDERS WARN At the center of the Trump administration’s request for relief from Murphy’s injunction are as many as a dozen people from various countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, who were allegedly ordered deported to South Sudan in violation of Murphy’s earlier order. Last week, Murphy ordered that the migrants remain in U.S. custody at a military base in Djibouti until each of them could be given a “reasonable fear interview,” or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released into South Sudanese custody. As of Monday night, these interviews had not taken place, according to Murphy. US JUDGE ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF ‘MANUFACTURING CHAOS’ IN SOUTH SUDAN DEPORTATIONS, ESCALATING FEUD It was unclear where the plane carrying the migrants may be as of last week, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Fox News that the flight was in the nearby African country of Djibouti, with U-S military personnel on the scene assisting. No word on when or if the flight would travel on to South Sudan. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman had indicated South Sudan would not be the final destination for that particular flight. Reacting to Murphy’s ruling last week halting the deportation of illegal immigrants to South Sudan, President Donald Trump called on the Supreme Court to “put an END” to judges getting in the way of his immigration enforcement efforts. “The Judges are absolutely out of control, they’re hurting our Country, and they know nothing about particular situations, or what they are doing – And this must change, IMMEDIATELY! Hopefully, the Supreme Court of the United States will put an END to the quagmire that has been caused by the Radical Left,” Trump wrote in a post shared to his Truth Social platform. “If this is not worked out quickly, and the World is watching, our Country will be under siege again, with hundreds of thousands of hardened criminals, ‘BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS.’”
Trump admin ask SCOTUS to authorize rapid migrant deportations to countries other than their own
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to intervene and allow it to quickly deport illegal immigrants to countries other than their own, Fox News has learned. The request from the Justice Department comes after a lower-court judge, Brian Murphy, issued a nationwide injunction that halted the Trump administration’s attempts to rapidly deport immigrants residing illegally in the United States to third-party countries not their own. In a Monday evening ruling, Murphy denied the government’s request to postpone enforcement of his injunction, and, as a result, the Trump administration is now seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court while the case continues to work its way through the legal system. As many as a dozen people from several countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, were allegedly ordered deported to South Sudan, in violation of Murphy’s previous order. It was unclear where the plane carrying the migrants may be as of last week, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirms to Fox News that the flight was in the nearby African country of Djibouti, with U-S military personnel on the scene assisting. No word on when or if the flight would travel on to South Sudan. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman had indicated South Sudan would not be the final destination for that particular flight. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Trump ally Tuberville announces run for Alabama governor
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday announced his 2026 run for Alabama governor. Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, launched a campaign website that touts his “conservative Alabama values.” And the senator made his first appearance after announcing his candidacy on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.” “I’m doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said in his Fox News Channel appearance. “I’m a football coach, I’m a leader, I’m a builder, I’m a recruiter, and we’re going to grow Alabama.” WHY TOMMY TUBERVILLE IS TAKING AIM AT MAINE’S GOVERNOR The move by the former longtime college football coach — who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama — ended weeks of speculation about his ambitions to run for governor in his homestate. REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS’ CAMPAIGN CHAIR DETAILS BALLOT BOX GAMEPLAN Just a week ago, Fox News confirmed that Tuberville told donors at recent private meetings that he would be launching a gubernatorial campaign. And a source familiar told Fox News a couple of weeks ago that an endorsement from Trump would be a “done deal” if Tuberville decided to run for governor. Tuberville, in his Fox News interview, said Trump was “fully supportive” of his gubernatorial run. Tuberville, who was elected to the Senate in 2020, is running to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey in the heavily red southern state. And his move sets up an open Senate seat in Alabama in the 2026 midterm elections.
US judge accuses Trump admin of ‘manufacturing chaos’ in South Sudan deportations, escalating feud
A federal judge in Massachusetts chastised senior Trump officials Monday night for failing to comply with his court orders after a group of migrants was deported from the U.S. to South Sudan — the latest dust-up centered on deportations, due process protections and the administration’s willingness, or lack thereof, to comply with federal courts. In a scathing, 17-page order, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy rejected Trump’s request to amend or withdraw the judge’s earlier decision requiring them to keep in U.S. custody six migrants who were deported to South Sudan without due process or notice. On Wednesday, Murphy ordered that the migrants remain in U.S. custody at a military base in Djibouti until each of them could be given a “reasonable fear interview,” or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released into South Sudanese custody. As of Monday night, he said, these interviews had not taken place. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP’S REMOVAL OF BIDEN APPOINTEES FROM FEDERAL BOARDS “It turns out that having immigration proceedings on another continent is harder and more logistically cumbersome than defendants anticipated,” Murphy said in his order, noting that the Trump administration is free to return individuals to have the interviews carried out on U.S. soil. He also took aim at Trump officials for attacking the courts, noting Monday night that defendants here have “mischaracterized” the court’s order, “while at the same time manufacturing the very chaos they decry.” The salvo comes as Murphy, a federal judge in Boston, presides over a class-action lawsuit from migrants who are challenging deportations to third countries, including South Sudan, El Salvador and other countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala and others that the administration has reportedly eyed in its ongoing wave of deportations. In considering the third-country removals, Murphy stressed that he has attempted to strike a delicate balance between due process protections under the U.S. Constitution and the Trump administration’s wave of eleventh-hour removals and deportations. Murphy noted that he allowed the Trump administration to keep the six deported migrants in South Sudan under the custody of U.S. officials, so long as they carry out the so-called “reasonable fear interviews,” and make a determination over whether the migrants’ concerns were adequate. FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING “The court never said that defendants had to convert their foreign military base into an immigration facility,” Murphy wrote in his order Monday night. “It only left that as an option, again, at defendants’ request.” Murphy also doubled down on his earlier orders as “sensible and conservative,” noting that he had repeatedly attempted to strike the right balance in weighing the Trump administration’s requests for the men to remain in South Sudan against their right to habeas proceedings and due process under the U.S. Constitution. He also cited DOJ’s seemingly fluid position as to what constitutes adequate notice for removals. He said Justice Department attorneys previously told the court that they believe that 24 hours is sufficient and meaningful notice to remove certain migrants, before breaking with that in removing the men to South Sudan. These individuals also do not appear to have any access to counsel. In one case, he said, plaintiffs declared Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had canceled at least one prerescheduled meeting with an attorney and her client. “Class members likewise had no opportunity to learn anything about South Sudan, a nascent, unstable country to which the United States has recently told its citizens not to travel because of crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict,” Murphy said. ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO The judge’s order is the latest attempt by federal courts judges to rein in the Trump administration as it continues to deport migrants to third countries, including El Salvador and South Sudan. U.S. judges have repeatedly ruled that the Trump administration has violated due process by failing to notify the migrants of their imminent removals, or afford them any opportunity to challenge their deportations in court— a view reiterated, albeit narrowly, by the Supreme Court four separate times since Trump took office. The judges have repeatedly ordered the Trump administration to facilitate their return to the U.S. To date, the Trump administration has not complied publicly with any of the requests to return the deported individuals. White House officials, meanwhile, have blasted so-called “activist” judges as attempting to enact a political agenda, and have repeatedly rejected the notion that illegal immigrants are not entitled to due process. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT Trump took aim at what he described as “USA hating judges” in a Truth Social post Monday, arguing that they “suffer from an ideology that is sick and very dangerous for our country.” Earlier, he described Murphy as yet another “activist judge” who he said is trying to protect “criminal illegal immigrant monsters.” “The court recognizes that the class members at issue here have criminal histories,” Murphy wrote in an apparent response to these comments Monday night. “But that does not change due process,” he wrote. “The court treats its obligation to these principles with the seriousness that anyone committed to the rule of law should understand.” Murphy added in his order that the Trump administration is welcome to submit its arguments to the court in writing. But he noted, “From this course of conduct, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than that Defendants invite lack of clarity as a means of evasion.” As of Monday, he said, this step had not been completed.
Federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to kill NYC congestion pricing program
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s effort to kill New York City‘s controversial congestion pricing program. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order barring the administration from getting rid of the program and withholding federal funding if the city failed to nix the program. NEW YORK CITY URGES JUDGE TO BLOCK TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM ELIMINATING ITS CONGESTION PRICING PROGRAM Liman’s Tuesday restraining order keeps the tolls in place through at least June 9 and prevents Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from retaliating against the city. In February, Trump posted an image of himself wearing a crown and wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. The program was launched in January, using electronic license plate readers and charging most drivers a $9 toll during peak periods to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street in an attempt to reduce congestion and raise funds to improve mass transit. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SETS DEADLINE FOR NYC TO SHUT DOWN CONTROVERSIAL CONGESTION PRICING TOLL The city said the program has dramatically reduced congestion on the roadways. There have been about 5.8 million fewer cars than expected in the congestion zone between January and March, or a reduction of about 8% to 13%, officials said. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said the program was better for businesses, the city’s tourism industry and bus and taxi rides. He noted that car crashes, noise complaints and traffic were down.
Biden aides considered ‘undemocratic’ actions to keep cognitive decline hidden, Trump out of power: author
Alex Thompson, co-author of the recently released exposé on former President Joe Biden, told Fox News Sunday that top aides ‘rationalized’ doing ‘undemocratic’ things to hide the president’s cognitive decline, because failing to do so would have been too beneficial to Donald Trump. During an interview with “Fox News Sunday’s” Shannon Bream, Thompson was asked whether any officials close to Biden, such as his cabinet secretaries, expressed remorse for their potential complicity in covering up Biden’s health. “There was definitely a lot of self-reflection about what — if anything — they should have done differently,” Thompson said. “I think there was a feeling — like a lot of members of the Democratic Party that were seeing this, or saw moments of [Biden] seeming out of it — that going public wasn’t going to change his mind. It was only going to help Donald Trump. And I think that’s how a lot of them rationalized it.” AXIOS’ ALEX THOMPSON CALLS DONALD TRUMP’S HEALTH ‘FAIR GAME’ AFTER BEING ‘UNTRANSPARENT’ ABOUT RECORDS “Now, whether or not history will judge them as being right for doing that, we will see. But this is also part of the reason why the White House was shielding [Biden] from as many people as possible, including cabinet secretaries.” Bream went on to question Thompson about an aide he spoke to who said Biden “just had to win and then could disappear” because Biden’s “aides could pick up the slack.” Bream described the quote as essentially “admitting” Biden shouldn’t be running again. EX-DNC CHAIR CALLS BOOK’S CLAIM THAT BIDEN DIDN’T RECOGNIZE HIM A ‘BOLD FACED LIE’ “Who would have been running the White House in a second Biden term?” Bream asked Thompson. “Well, this person went on to say, ‘When you’re voting for president, you’re voting for the aides around him.’ But these aides were not even Senate confirmed aides – these were White House aides, these were unelected people.” Thompson replied. “One of the things that really comes out in our reporting here is that if you believe — and I do think a lot of these people do sincerely believe that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy — you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things — which I think is what this person was talking about.” Thompson and CNN’s Jake Tapper have been doing the rounds discussing and promoting their new book titled “Original Sin,” which has garnered a lot of attention for detailing what critics have said shows Biden’s cognitive decline while he was in the White House was even worse than most people suspected. The book has been compounded by other revelations showing Biden’s cognitive abilities were likely hidden from the public by those closest to him.
NPR sues Trump administration for cutting US federal funding
The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration’s move to cut federal funding to public broadcasting is a violation of the US Constitution’s First Amendment. National Public Radio (NPR) and three of its local stations have filed a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organisation is illegal. The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Tuesday in Washington, DC by NPR and three local stations in Colorado — Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE Inc – argues that Trump’s executive order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Trump issued the executive order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requiring that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organisations. Trump issued the order after alleging there is “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting spends roughly $500m on public TV and radio annually. PBS and NPR get part of their funding from federal grants: 17 percent and two percent, respectively. Advertisement “The Order’s objectives could not be clearer: the Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country,” the lawsuit alleges. “The Order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, and it interferes with NPR’s and the Local Member Stations’ freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion,” it said. The White House’s executive order argued that editorial choices – including that NPR allegedly “refused to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story”, and that it ran a “Valentine’s Day feature around ‘queer animals’” – were some of the reasons it wanted to cut federal funding. “This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. “NPR has a First Amendment right to be free from government attempts to control private speech as well as from retaliation aimed at punishing and chilling protected speech. By basing its directives on the substance of NPR’s programming, the Executive Order seeks to force NPR to adapt its journalistic standards and editorial choices to the preferences of the government if it is to continue to receive federal funding.” The absence of PBS from Tuesday’s filing indicates the two systems will challenge this separately; PBS has not yet gone to court, but is likely to do so soon. Advertisement The US president’s attempts to dismantle government-run news sources like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have also sparked court clashes. The administration has battled with the press on several fronts. The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC, CBS and NBC News. And after The Associated Press refrained from calling the Gulf of Mexico “the Gulf of America”, as Trump directed, the administration restricted the news outlet’s access to certain government events. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli forces raid foreign exchange shops in occupied West Bank; one dead
Palestinian groups slam the raids targeting exchanges in several cities in a widespread operation in the territory. Israeli forces have raided money exchanges across the occupied West Bank, using live fire and tear gas as they stormed the city of Nablus, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding more than 30. Exchange shops in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron Arrabeh, el-Bireh, Bethlehem, Jenin and Tubas were attacked on Tuesday, residents said. In the northern city of Nablus, Israeli soldiers raided a foreign exchange belonging to the Al-Khaleej company and a gold store, according to local media reports. They also fired smoke bombs in the centre of Jenin, and streets were closed in Tubas and Bethlehem in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health said one man was killed and eight injured by live ammunition during a raid in Nablus. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it treated 20 people for tear gas inhalation and three injured by rubber bullets. The raids on foreign exchanges came as Israel continued its intensified military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians since the war began on October 7, 2023, as tens of thousands of people starve in the besieged enclave. Advertisement Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday said Israel conducted the raids on foreign exchanges on suspicions that the shops supported “terrorism”. The radio station also said the operation resulted in the confiscation of large amounts of money designated for “terrorism infrastructure” in the West Bank. “Israeli forces are taking action against Al-Khaleej Exchange Company due to its connections with terrorist organisations,” a leaflet left by Israeli forces at the company’s Ramallah location read. Israeli soldiers patrol the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank [Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP] Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said Israeli authorities have not released an official statement yet but an official talked to the Israeli media about the raids. “This official said earlier that Israel ‘believes’ – not that it has any evidence or proof – but ‘believes’ that these cash exchange places are funnelling money to what they call terror organisations,” said Salhut, who was reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Israel has banned Al Jazeera from reporting from Israel and the West Bank. “The people who own these shops say they were not given any sort of proof by the Israeli military,” she added. Salhut said it was the fourth time such raids have taken place since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza. “The first time was in December of 2023 when five different cash exchange places were raided by the Israeli military and they seized nearly $3m,” she said. “It happened again in August 2024 and again in September of that same year.” Advertisement Hamas slams raids Hamas denounced the Israeli raids, saying they “constitute a new chapter in the occupation’s open war against the Palestinian people, their lives, their economy, and all the foundations of their steadfastness and perseverance on their land”. “These assaults on economic institutions, accompanied by the looting of large sums of money and the confiscation of property, are an extension of the piracy policies adopted by the [Israeli] occupation government,” the Palestinian group said in a statement, adding that the targeted companies were “operating within the law”. Hamas urged the Palestinian Authority to take measures against the Israeli attacks. Separately, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement said the raids are “part of the open war against our people, targeting their very existence and cause”. The group also urged the Palestinian Authority to “defend” Palestinians from such attacks and “halt its policy of security coordination” with Israel. Adblock test (Why?)
Chaos erupts as Palestinians rush to aid site after months of blockade
NewsFeed Chaos erupted in Rafah as thousands of desperate Palestinians swarmed a new aid distribution site, set up by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Live ammunition was fired to disperse the large crowds. Published On 27 May 202527 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)