For Nigerians and other nationals seeking to immigrate to the United States (US), what they post on social media concerning Israel will henceforth play a prominent part in determining if they get a green card or not.
Negative posts mean such persons could now have their green card applications rejected.
According to a report in the New York Times (NYT), for expressing anti-Israel sentiment on social media or participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, such persons will automatically have their applications torn up.
The report cited internal documents on the directive distributed within the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to the Times, the documents include updated training material that instructs agency employees to reject applications for a green card — a US permanent resident visa — if the applicant is found to have expressed opinions or beliefs deemed by the administration to be “anti-American.”
The report notes that although ideology has always played a part when vetting a green card applicant, it had previously only impacted people belonging to Communist or other totalitarian parties, or who had supported calls to overthrow the US government.
Now, however, the report said, immigration officers have been instructed to reject applications from anyone with a history of “endorsing, promoting or supporting anti-American views” or “antisemitic terrorism, ideologies or groups.”
One example cited as potential grounds to reject an application was a mock-up of a social media post demanding to ‘Stop Israeli Terror in Palestine’, the newspaper said.
Another example seen by the Times showed a map of Israel with the country’s name crossed out and replaced with “Palestine,” while another is said to have called for revenge on Israel for the war in Gaza.
DHS also told immigration officers to pay particular attention to anyone who took part in the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel campus protests in the wake of the 7 October, 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent war in Gaza, the report said.
