'Catch And Revoke' Program Takes Off: State Department AI-Driven Visa Crackdown

The U.S. State Department's "Catch and Revoke" program uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor foreign nationals, particularly student visa holders. The program aims to identify individuals who express support for Hamas, Hezbollah, or other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations through social media activity or participation in protests and revoke their visas. To date, approximately 300 foreign nationals have had their visas revoked under this initiative.

AI tools scan social media accounts, news reports, and other publicly available information to flag individuals on visas for further investigation. The U.S. government maintains the program is a national security measure to help identify foreign nationals who should have been denied visas based on support for designated terrorist organizations. Critics argue the AI-driven process may rely on basic keyword searches that are prone to errors, raising concerns about fairness and accuracy. Advocacy groups warn