US to reportedly use AI to revoke visas of students it sees as 'Hamas supporters'

The U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials.

Fox News separately reported the State Department revoked the visa of a student who allegedly participated in what the department termed as "Hamas-supporting disruptions." The revocation marked the first such action, according to the report.

The State Department was working with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Axios.

The State Department did not comment directly on the reports but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media that the United States "has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists." He added that "violators of U.S. law - including international students - face visa denial or revocation, and deportation."

The other two departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January to combat antisemitism and has pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that have been ongoing for months amid Israel's military assault on Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack.

The AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort will include AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts, Axios reported.

There have been incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests. The Trump administration has thus far announced no steps aimed at countering Islamophobia.

Trump has said he will stop federal funding for educational institutions that allow what he called illegal protests.

"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or .. arrested," Trump said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects freedom of speech and assembly. Free speech advocates like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and pro-Palestinian groups expressed alarm over the Axios report.