Unions sue Trump administration over visa holder social media surveillance

Three labor unions filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration, arguing that the federal government legally violated the First Amendment rights of U.S. visa holders by using a program to search for certain viewpoints on social media, including criticism of the U.S. government and Israel.

The United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America and American Federation of Teachers filed suit against the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This comes after the State Department said it had revoked the visas of at least six people over comments made on social media about murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month.

“Plaintiffs represent thousands of individuals whose speech has been frozen due to the threat of adverse immigration action if the government disapproves of anything they have expressed or will express,” the lawsuit states. The statement is included.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL CONTINUE EXAMINING LEGAL IMMIGRANT APPLICATIONS FOR ‘ANTI-AMERICANITY’ AND ANTI-EMITISM

Administration officials have argued that aliens do not have the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens and are not entitled to visas because the federal government seeks to target foreigners for speech purposes.

“The United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come into our country, commit anti-American, pro-terrorist, and anti-Semitic acts of hate or incite violence. We will continue to revoke the visas of those who risk the safety of our citizens,” State Department Deputy Chief Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. he said.

The lawsuit points to high-profile lawsuits and comments from federal officials alleging that a government program used artificial intelligence and other automated tools to spy on visa holders’ posts and targeted people who were critical of the Trump administration and those with what the government deemed “hateful ideology.”

The federal government has defined support for terrorism broadly to include criticism of U.S. support for Israel and the Jewish State’s military action, as well as support for the Palestinians. The government used this as a justification to cancel visas.

FEDERAL JUDGE Slams Broad Aspects of TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO DEPORT PROTESTERS PRO-PALESTINE

The State Department said at least six people had their visas revoked because of comments made on social media about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his murder last month. (Getty Images)

The unions’ complaint cited the case of green card holder Mahmoud Khalil, who was released in June after months of detention following a government attempt to deport him for participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

Immigration threats over views not approved by the government have led some union members to withdraw from public engagement with their unions when holding events, step down from leadership roles, and “delete, avoid, or otherwise alter their social media and online interactions with unions,” the lawsuit said.

“This loss of commitment harmed plaintiffs’ ability to advance their organizational mission and hindered their ability to fulfill their responsibilities, including recruiting, retaining, and organizing union members, advocating on behalf of union members, and promoting civic and political engagement among union members,” the lawsuit states. It was said.

Many union members stopped voicing their views because “the government promised and demonstrated that saying the wrong thing could trigger life-altering immigration consequences, especially for visa holders and Lawful Permanent Residents,” the complaint says.

The federal government has defined support for terrorism broadly to include criticism of U.S. support for Israel. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

CLICK TO REACH THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the administration has been looking for online posts targeting foreigners in case their visas are revoked.

On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order to ensure that visa holders “do not engage in hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate, assist, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.”

In the summer, the State Department said it would begin requiring applicants to make their social media accounts publicly available for government monitoring, and that interviews with applicants would determine who might pose a threat to national security.

Reuters contributed to this report.