‘Effective immediately:’ Trump orders embassies to halt all student visas

President Donald Trump is escalating his ongoing battle with universities with an order to United States embassies.

According to a cable acquired by Politico, the embassies are being told to pause scheduling interviews with student visa applicants, dealing a blow to American universities that rely on foreign students for funding. The order, dated for Tuesday, is also signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Effective immediately, 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 septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable reads, according to the outlet, adding that “septel” stands for “separate telegram.”

Previously imposed social media vetting of Visa holders was “largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.”

Trump has addressed universities that he says have allowed antisemitism to flourish on their campus, resulting in Jewish students fearing for their safety. Following the murder of two Israeli embassy employees, the president has stepped up these efforts.

As BizPac Review previously reported, Trump has indicated that he is willing to withhold billions of dollars from the “very antisemitic” Harvard University in favor of doling it out to trade schools. In a follow-up post, he announced that his administration is awaiting foreign student lists from the university so they can determine “how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into” the United States.

X users celebrated the news:

Yes! This is the way!

— Neesie (@neesietweets) May 27, 2025

BREAKING: President Trump just PAUSED new student visa interviews, preparing to expand social media vetting for all foreign applicants, per Politico.

AMERICA FIRST!

— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) May 27, 2025

Good start

Crackdown on H1B desperately needed too https://t.co/Ril1wfhYmJ

— Eric Novack (@eric_novack) May 27, 2025

Fantastic idea!

— Mike Anderson (@MikeSmalltalk) May 27, 2025

It’s about time!

— Hanks (@hanks6515) May 27, 2025

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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