New USCIS Proposal Would Further Weaponize Digital Platforms Against Immigrants, Eroding Free Speech & Democracy

4 MAR 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump administration is ramping up its authoritarian tactics, proposing mass social media surveillance of immigrants under the guise of national security. Under this proposal, USCIS would collect and scrutinize social media activity to assess immigrants’ “eligibility” for visas and other legal protections, with no transparency on how online interactions—likes, follows, or even private messages—could be used against them. This move furthers Trump’s ongoing efforts to target immigrants and dissenters, normalize mass deportations, and flood the public sphere with anti-immigrant disinformation.Trump is using the same digital ecosystem he’s weaponized for disinformation—one dominated by his far-right tech billionaire buddies who have pushed for deregulated platforms—to justify surveillance, expand digital policing, and cement a culture of fear.

Beatriz Lopez, Co-Executive Director of Catalyze/Citizens released the following statement:

“This is not immigration policy—it is authoritarianism and undemocratic surveillance. Trump is turning online spaces into surveillance traps, where immigrants are forced to watch their every move and censor their speech or risk their futures in this country. Today it’s immigrants, tomorrow it’s U.S. citizens who dissent with Trump and his administration. For all their talk of free speech and the deep state, Big Brother is now thriving.

“We’ve seen this playbook before. The same far-right media ecosystem that spent hundreds of millions spreading anti-immigrant disinformation is now justifying new tools for state surveillance and digital policing. But this time, Trump isn’t acting alone—he’s backed by far-right tech billionaires who have long pushed to deregulate their platforms while profiting from disinformation, including an unprecedented volume of anti-immigrant misinformation. Now, they will be complicit in expanding digital policing, turning social media not only into a propaganda machine but now a tool for dangerous surveillance and control.”

###

Catalyze/Citizens is dedicated to winning protections for millions of aspiring citizens and safeguarding America’s democracy by leading innovative advocacy campaigns, generating powerful narrative interventions and forging groundbreaking alliances.es.