Fact check: What are the guidelines for ICE social media screening of international travelers?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there appears to be confusion between ICE and State Department responsibilities regarding social media screening of international travelers. The sources reveal that:

• The State Department, not ICE, has established specific guidelines for social media screening of international student visa and exchange visitor visa applicants ^{[1] [2]}
• These State Department guidelines require applicants to set their social media accounts to 'public' and involve screening for signs of 'hostility' toward the United States ^[1]
• ICE is seeking to expand its surveillance capabilities through AI-powered investigative analytics platforms and data mining operations that would include social media monitoring ^{[3] [4]}
• ICE currently lacks specific published guidelines for social media screening of international travelers, though the agency is actively pursuing contracts to monitor up to a million people through various data sources including social media ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes ICE has established social media screening guidelines for international travelers, but the analyses reveal several important missing contexts:

• Jurisdictional distinction: The State Department handles visa applications and has implemented social media screening requirements, while ICE focuses on enforcement and is still developing its social media monitoring capabilities ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Privacy and civil liberties concerns: The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has criticized these policies, noting they may 'chill political speech' ^[2]
• Scope of surveillance: ICE has access to global airline ticket databases containing passenger names, financial details, and flight itineraries, suggesting broader data collection beyond social media ^[5]
• Community response: Migrant communities are using social media as a DIY alert system for ICE raids, indicating the bidirectional nature of social media use in immigration enforcement ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a fundamental misattribution of responsibility. The question assumes ICE has specific guidelines for social media screening of international travelers, when the evidence shows:

• No specific ICE guidelines exist for social media screening of international travelers based on the available sources
• The State Department, not ICE, has implemented the actual social media screening guidelines for visa applicants ^{[1] [2]}
• ICE is still in the procurement phase for comprehensive social media monitoring tools rather than having established operational guidelines ^{[3] [4]}

This misattribution could lead to confusion about which agency is responsible for what aspects of immigration-related social media screening and may obscure the actual policies currently in effect.