The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that could require green card holders living in the United States to surrender their social media accounts as part of its crackdown on immigration. Currently, visa applicants living abroad are already required to share their social media handles with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Under this new proposal, the policy would extend to those already living in the U.S. legally, including green card holders and asylum seekers applying for permanent residency.
This move could allow the White House to restrict certain individuals, including critics of the administration, from making the U.S. their home. It is expected to affect many Indians living in the U.S. legally, especially those who are politically active both in India and the United States. Increased scrutiny by the government may deter these individuals from engaging in political discussions online due to concerns over potential negative repercussions.
Reason Behind the Proposal
In a notice released on March 5, the Trump administration announced that it is seeking public comments on its plan, which it says would help improve identity verification, national security, public safety screening, and other related vetting processes. According to the notice, the USCIS has “identified the need to collect social media identifiers (‘handles’) and associated platform names from applicants.”
The government justifies this move as part of enhanced security measures, necessary for “identity verification, vetting, and national security screening.”
How Green Card Holders Will Be Affected
This new policy is an extension of an existing rule requiring visa applicants abroad to provide their social media handles. The proposed change would affect individuals who are already residing in the U.S. legally, including green card holders and asylum seekers applying for permanent residency.
This proposal is part of the Trump administration’s broader approach to tighten immigration controls, which includes more thorough scrutiny of both green card holders and visa applicants.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Since returning to office, President Trump has significantly intensified his hardline approach to immigration. On his first day back in office on January 20, he signed an executive order calling for federal agencies to work together to combat what he referred to as the “invasion” of illegal immigrants. Trump portrayed the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. as the primary cause of crime, gang violence, and drug trafficking—claims that are not substantiated by government statistics. He also accused immigrants of draining U.S. resources and depriving citizens of jobs.
Almost immediately, federal law enforcement agencies began posting images of their immigration crackdown operations on social media. These agents, often wearing body armor and jackets emblazoned with logos from various agencies—including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)—were seen conducting raids on immigrants without proper legal status.