Foreign Travelers Could Face Five-Year Social Media Review Under Trump Plan

The Trump administration is preparing to require foreign tourists to submit five years’ worth of social media history before being allowed entry into the United States.

This sweeping measure marks the latest effort by President Donald Trump to intensify scrutiny on individuals entering the country, following last week’s announcement of an immigration freeze affecting 19 nations.

Customs and Border Protection published the proposed mandatory requirement in the Federal Register on Tuesday.

Under the policy, all foreign travelers entering the U.S.—including those from visa-waiver countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany—would be obligated to provide social media account information.

This follows a June directive from the State Department requiring travelers to make their social media profiles public.

In addition to social media data, incoming visitors will be asked to provide email addresses, phone numbers, and information regarding their family members as part of the security vetting process.

According to the notice, the American public will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal.

With the United States set to host the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028, hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors are expected to arrive under these enhanced screening rules.

The Daily Mail has contacted the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

In August, the administration stated that immigration services would begin examining the social media presence of prospective visa and green card applicants for signs of “anti-Americanism.”

President Trump has made tightening U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services a central focus of his immigration agenda—this initiative, however, goes beyond individuals seeking citizenship.

These new directives build upon earlier measures implemented under the Trump administration, including social media vetting and expanded evaluations of applicants’ “good moral character” during naturalization reviews.

USCIS announced that officers will now consider whether an applicant for residency, work authorization, or visas has “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused” anti-American, terrorist, or antisemitic views.

“America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,” USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said. “Immigration benefits—including the ability to live and work in the United States—remain a privilege, not a right. If you hate America, don’t try to live in America. It’s that simple.”

The policy does not clearly define what constitutes anti-Americanism, nor does it specify how or when officers should apply this guidance.

Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the U.S. is signaling lower tolerance for anti-American or antisemitic views in immigration decisions. She noted that officers still retain discretion, but now have clearer instructions on what behaviors to treat as negative factors.

Critics warn that the ambiguous standards could allow personal bias to influence decisions. Jane Lilly Lopez, associate professor of sociology at Brigham Young University, cautioned that the update “opens the door for stereotypes, prejudice, and implicit bias to take the wheel.”

The new framework will account not only for the absence of wrongdoing but also for an applicant’s positive contributions.

Earlier this month, Trump halted all immigration applications from 19 countries and suspended citizenship ceremonies nationwide, citing national security and public safety concerns.

According to The New York Times, the freeze may affect more than 1.5 million pending asylum applicants and over 50,000 individuals who were granted asylum under the Biden administration.

The New York Post has also reported that Trump is weighing an expansion of the travel ban to more than 30 countries.

The administration’s latest policy memo—issued Tuesday night—cited last week’s “terror attack” in Washington, D.C., where Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arrested for allegedly killing one National Guard member and injuring another.

The ban currently covers citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while restricted access applies to travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

All immigration activities, including the completion of citizenship ceremonies for lawful permanent residents from these 19 countries, have been suspended, according to CBS News.

“The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right,” Tragesser said. “We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake.”

A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Washington Post indicates that anyone attempting to migrate to the U.S. will be subjected to a new round of vetting.

The memo states: “This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting these criteria undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all national security and public safety threats.”

Secretary of State Kristi Noem announced plans Monday for a “full travel ban” targeting countries she described as sending “killers, leeches and entitlement junkies.”

The policy grants DHS broad authority to deem applicants “inadmissible or ineligible.”

Trump first unveiled the sweeping bans last week, accusing former President Joe Biden of allowing unvetted migrants into the country—including, he claimed, the Afghan suspect now charged in the D.C. attack.

He has escalated his rhetoric toward Somali migrants, calling them “garbage” and asserting, “we don’t want them in our country.”

On Truth Social, Trump declared that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” to allow the U.S. system to “fully recover,” adding that “REVERSE MIGRATION” is the only true solution. He also vowed to end federal benefits for noncitizens, revoke citizenship from individuals deemed to undermine the nation, and deport any foreign nationals considered a security risk or “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”

Secretary of State Noem reiterated the administration’s intention to enact a “full travel ban,” describing the initiative as a “full scale, rigorous” response to the D.C. incident.

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