This development represents a drastic expansion of AI-driven political policing in the United States. The system, reminiscent of China's social-credit model, raises urgent concerns about its future scope and the precedent it sets. What begins as a tool for scrutinizing visa holders could quickly extend beyond foreign students, evolving into a powerful instrument of surveillance capable of monitoring, blacklisting, and punishing American citizens for their political speech, online activity, or participation in protests.

Once AI-driven monitoring is normalized, its potential for weaponization becomes undeniable. The very mechanisms designed to target noncitizens today could just as easily be turned against journalists, activists, and dissenting voices tomorrow.

"Catch and Revoke"

According to an Axios report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is implementing an AI-powered "Catch and Revoke" program. It will scan the social media accounts of tens of thousands of foreign student visa holders. Per Axios:

The reviews of social media accounts are particularly looking for evidence of alleged terrorist sympathies expressed after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, officials say.

If the system deems a post suspicious — or, as Axios put it, believes it "appears" to support Hamas — the State Department may revoke the student's visa. (Notably, as reported by The New American, the narrative surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack as an isolated act of brutality is now rapidly crumbling, implicating the Israeli government itself.)

Officials also plan to examine internal databases. They will check whether any visa holders were arrested but remained in the country during the Biden administration. Additionally, authorities are reviewing news reports of "anti-Israel" demonstrations and analyzing lawsuits from Jewish students that allege foreign nationals engaged in "antisemitic" activity without consequences.

The State Department is coordinating with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in what one senior State official described as a "whole of government and whole of authority approach," per Axios.