Not LeT, Jaish-e-Muhammad, TRF, Hizbul Mujahideen, US will not issue student visa if you are sympathetic to...

Much before dangling the "Sword of Damocles" over students seeking an an F1 Visa for living and studying in the US, the Donald Trump administration had made it clear that it would not allow anyone who is found to be suspicious of being sympathetic to certain elements or ideologies, let alone those who may be one of them. Though State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday that the US will use "every tool in our tool chest to vet anyone coming in, who wants to come into this country", the script for the de facto ban for an indefinite period was written much earlier.

(Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, US)

State Department issues fresh order

The intention of stopping the foreign students from arriving in the US became clear on Wednesday when the Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared to "expand" its means for "screening and vetting" social media profiles. In a separate telegram, he also said that "in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued".  

No visa to 'terror sympathisers'?

In an attempt to weed out liberals, the Donald Trump administration has also started revoking and deporting students if they are found to indulge in on-campus protests, especially on political issues, such as the war in Gaza. The administration has termed these protests "anti-Semitic" and students who participate in it, "terror sympathisers". After this, it began enhanced scrutiny and background checks of applicants and their social media activity.

(Masood Azhar, Chief, Jaish-e-Muhammad)

What about LeT, Jaish-e-Muhammad, TRF, Hizbul Mujahideen?

In a statement issued on April 9, the USCIS declared that "aliens" who support "antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah aka the Houthis" would not be allowed to set foot on US soil. However, the State Department did not say anything about Pakistan-based terrorist organisations like Jaish-e-Muhammad despite its chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, being on the UN list of international terrorists. Similarly, the US State Department was silent on Lashkar-e-Taiba,, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Ansar. These are the terrorist organisations, targeted by India during Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. As many as 26 unarmed civilians were killed in the attack.