The Trump administration is using AI-driven surveillance to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestine activism, framing dissent as a national security threat.

In response to widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the United States, President Donald Trump—under his new administration—has implemented an AI-driven “Catch and Revoke” policy aimed at foreign students who participate in these demonstrations. The policy revokes their student visas and orders their deportation. On March 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and a prominent figure in campus protests supporting Palestine.

The government stated that Khalil’s student visa and green card had been revoked. This arrest illustrates a growing trend in U.S. foreign and domestic policy: student activism on the Palestinian issue is now being framed as a national security threat, particularly concerning the safety of Jewish students on American campuses.

Trump has reinforced his stance on countering what he refers to as “terrorist activism” in American universities through his Executive Order on Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats. This order signals a sweeping expansion of executive authority over non-citizens residing in the U.S. It seems to target not only foreigners but also Americans whose political views diverge from the administration’s position on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The term “Catch and Revoke” refers to the method of identifying participants in pro-Palestinian protests, relying heavily on digital footprints—most notably from social media platforms. For the past seven years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has collected social media data from all individuals applying for U.S. visas. Under the Trump administration, this surveillance apparatus is being extended beyond visa applicants to include immigrants already employed in the United States. Once DHS accesses a foreigner’s social media activity, it becomes easier for the government to monitor speech and map out networks of association. This effectively enables the state to observe what individuals say and with whom they engage—turning speech into a web of potential suspicion.

From a techno-realist perspective, identity formation plays a crucial role in collective power dynamics and the narrative framing of national interest. Under Trump, U.S. national security policy increasingly aligns with Israeli priorities, driven in part by the influence of lobbying groups such as AIPAC. As a strategic ally in the Middle East, Israel is central to Washington’s vision of regional normalization. However, this alignment has resulted in a skewed representation of national interest—one that privileges Israeli perspectives over foundational American values such as human rights and freedom of expression.

In line with techno-realism, the U.S. government’s identity-enforcement measures now target pro-Palestinian foreign students, labeling them as terrorist sympathizers and revoking their visas. This campaign, intensified by the Trump administration, has seen DHS and ICE aggressively pursue arrests and deportations under a veil of national security. The government has come to view dissenting students as a threat simply because they offer an alternative perspective on the Israel-Hamas war.

The increasing role of artificial intelligence in these visa revocations represents a new frontier in government control. While many civil liberties advocates argue that the administration’s use of AI violates privacy rights and infringes upon the First Amendment, the policy is nonetheless defended by officials as necessary to protect Jewish students and to counter antisemitism. By using machine learning algorithms to scan for specific keywords and patterns, the government flags individuals suspected of supporting terrorism—even if the context of their online speech is misinterpreted. This surveillance has created a climate of fear among foreign students, many of whom now worry that their online activism may jeopardize their legal status in the U.S.

What the U.S. government is implementing through “Catch and Revoke” threatens to undermine fundamental rights, creating a biased and politicized application of technology. While the technology itself is neutral, its effects depend entirely on who controls it and how it is deployed. In this case, technological advancement is being monopolized by those at the top of the social hierarchy while the struggles of marginalized groups are ignored. Trump’s broad-brush characterization of protesters as pro-terrorist risks silencing legitimate political speech and discouraging engagement on Palestinian issues—whether through universities, journalism, or social media.

Artificial intelligence lacks the emotional intelligence to grasp the complexity of human thought and political sentiment. As such, it is likely to misread or oversimplify social media content, potentially branding students as extremists when they have merely voiced a controversial opinion. This can lead to wrongful revocations and expulsions, punishing individuals for speech not meeting the threshold of incitement or support for terrorism.

According to techno-realism, political ideology shapes identity formation. The Trump administration’s “America First” ethos and its framing of Western civilization as morally superior inform its use of AI as a tool for domestic control. This approach targets dissenting foreign students, monitors their activities, and revokes their visas—even when they are lawful permanent residents. Techno-realism also recognizes the growing influence of non-state actors, such as AI technologies, in shaping foreign policy.

The fear of instability is being weaponized to justify the arrest and deportation of students who deviate from the administration’s worldview. Foreign students are increasingly characterized as pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist, or antisemitic—not because of any proven affiliations but because their views conflict with prevailing narratives. AI is a powerful state control instrument, enabling authorities to monitor online activity and conduct advanced surveillance with minimal oversight.

Tech corporations play an instrumental role in this new surveillance ecosystem. Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has helped shape the online narrative surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. As CEO of SpaceX and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk wields significant influence, reportedly supporting the suspension of pro-Palestinian accounts while promoting pro-Israel content. His dual role allows him to affect federal budgetary priorities, including decisions tied to universities that have seen robust pro-Palestine protest movements—effectively weaponizing private-sector technology for political ends.

Techno-realism provides a compelling framework for understanding how identity, technological power, and state interests intersect. Under the Trump administration, artificial intelligence and social media surveillance are used to silence foreign students whose views challenge official policy. These measures threaten civil liberties and risk dismantling the democratic values American institutions are meant to uphold. The collusion between political power and tech companies like X reveals a troubling future: technology no longer simply reflects society but actively polices it.