The Trump administration is using artificial intelligence tools to scan the social media of visa holders, and then punishing them for what they say.

If a foreign national posts something critical of the U.S. government or expresses a political opinion that officials don't like, their visa can be revoked.

This is happening right now to students, workers, and visitors who are legally in the United States.

A new lawsuit from three major unions says this surveillance program is using AI and automated tools to search for “hostile attitudes” online. That includes political speech, criticism of public figures, or support for movements like Palestinian rights. The result is that people are being silenced, scared into silence, or pushed out of the country—not because they broke the law, but because they shared an opinion.

That’s not safety. That’s censorship.

It’s also a dangerous abuse of technology. No one should have to worry that an AI tool is reading their tweets or Instagram posts to decide whether they can stay in the country. And no president—Trump or anyone else—should be allowed to use machines to police free speech in secret.

We are calling on Congress to ban the use of AI and automated surveillance tools to monitor political speech. The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department must also shut down this program and reveal how many people have already been harmed.

This isn’t just about immigrants. It’s about all of us. If the government can punish people for speaking out, where does it stop?

Sign this petition to tell Congress: stop the use of AI to target speech and shut this program down.

Photo: Kent Nishimura / Getty Images file