Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: An airstrike carried out by an Israeli drone targeted the Syrian Defense Ministry building in the capital, Damascus.
Local Syrian sources: A doctor was killed while trying to reach the government hospital in the city of Sweida.
Syrian local sources: The National Hospital in Sweida is currently out of service due to the siege it is facing.
Syrian local sources: Medical staff at the National Hospital in Sweida appeal for intervention after it was besieged and its electricity, water, and food were cut off.
Syrian Rejal al-Karamah (Men of Dignity) movement: What happened was a dangerous escalation that threatens civil peace and undermines the trust that authorities have worked hard to establish.
Rejal al-Karamah (Men of Dignity) movement: We condemn in the strongest terms the brutal attack on the city of Sweida and Jabal al-Arab by the Damascus government.
Maduro: We reaffirm that Palestine has the right to exist, resist, and live freely in a fully sovereign state with East al-Quds as its capital.
Maduro: Every bomb dropped on a Palestinian hospital, school, or home not only kills innocent lives but also destroys the foundations of world peace.
Maduro: What we are witnessing today in Gaza and throughout Palestine is not a conflict between equal parties, but rather a systematic plan to destroy a people and eradicate their identity.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the Bogota summit: We raise our voices firmly outraged at the world's silence in the face of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians.

Rubio orders extra visa vetting for Harvard-linked applicants

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 30 May 2025 22:46
2 Min Read

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered additional vetting for all visa applicants traveling to Harvard, including students and staff, citing social media screening amid the rising crackdown on the Ivy League school.

Listen
  • x
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at the State Department, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at the State Department, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a directive mandating additional vetting for anyone seeking a US visa to visit or work at Harvard University. The internal cable, first reported by CNN, was sent to all US embassies and consulates, instructing them to "immediately begin additional vetting" for any applicant with plans to travel to Harvard "for any purpose."

This includes prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, guest speakers, contractors, and even tourists. According to the cable, applicants will undergo enhanced background checks, particularly focused on their online and social media activity.

Social media screening under State Department oversight

The Fraud Prevention Unit within the State Department will supervise the process, aiming to "identify potential inadmissibilities and any information indicating that the applicant may intend to engage in activities inconsistent with the requested visa classification," the cable stated.

Related News

Cuba says new US sanctions will not 'bend the will of the people'

Rubio sanctions UN’s Francesca Albanese over ICC push on 'Israel'

Earlier this week, media outlets reported that the State Department had suspended all new student visa appointments in preparation for the expanded vetting procedures. The increased scrutiny is expected to apply broadly across visa categories related to Harvard.

Read more: Trump threatens Harvard's $3bln funding, may redirect to trade schools

Mounting pressure from Trump 

This decision comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard University. The conflict includes the revocation of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Last week, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in favor of Harvard, granting a temporary suspension of the Department of Homeland Security’s move to bar foreign student enrollment. US District Judge Allison Burroughs, presiding in Boston, confirmed that her order will remain in place while legal proceedings continue.

Despite the ruling, US authorities have given Harvard University 30 days to respond to a federal notice of intent that would revoke its ability to enroll foreign students, a move that could severely impact the institution’s international programs.

According to a notice issued by Acting Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, Harvard must submit a formal rebuttal, under oath and supported by documentary evidence, explaining why its SEVP certification should not be withdrawn for the 2025–2026 academic year.

  • Marco Rubio
  • United States
  • Student Visa
  • Trump administration
  • Harvard University
  • Donald Trump
  • Harvard

Most Read

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025
An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

  • Analysis
  • 11 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Syrian government forces deploy at the Mazraa village on the outskirts of city of Sweida, where clashes erupted between Bedouin clans and Druze factions, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Gulf-backed negotiations underway in Syria's Sweida to end clashes

UN: 798 Palestinians killed while trying to reach aid in Gaza
Palestine

UN: 798 Palestinians killed trying to reach aid in Gaza

A damaged car is seen at a field that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Sheet village, in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, Wednesday, August 21, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah condemns Israeli Bekaa massacre, urges Leb. authority action

Palestinians walk next to the closed humanitarian aid distribution center of UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime cuts electricity, water supplies to UNRWA Gaza offices

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS