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Original Date Announced
October 17, 2025According to a complaint filed in UAW v. Department of State, the federal government has developed and is deploying a vast surveillance apparatus, including automated technologies and AI, to surveil online expressive activity of every visa holder and noncitizen in the United States, with a particular focus on visa holders and LPRs with campus affiliations.
The complaint alleges that the program emerged from the “Catch and Revoke” initiative, where DHS’s mandate encompassed surveilling online speech associated with campus protests about Palestine. DHS established a “Tiger Team,” consisting of analysts in the DHS-HSI Office of Intelligence & Analysis, that was responsible for developing a factual record about disfavored speakers. The program expanded within DHS and the State Department to visa applicants and re-applicants in March; a task force charged with systematic expansion of the program was created around April. The complaint alleges that the government has and is continuing to contract with private companies to increase its technological capability and surveillance apparatus.
The plaintiffs in UAW v. Department of State are three unions representing graduate student workers. The complaint alleges that the surveillance program violates the Fifth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, and asks the court to declare the program unlawful, enjoin the government from continuing to implement the program or rely on records created through this surveillance, and to vacate all final agency actions that implemented the program. UAW v. Dep't of State, No. 1:25-cv-08566 (S.D.N.Y.).
**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**
Trump 2.0 [ID #2052]
2025.10.17 Complaint - UAW v. Dep't of StateCurrent Status
NoneOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status: In LitigationTrump Administration Action: Change in PracticeSubject Matter: Interior Immigrant Visas Non-Immigrant VisasAssociated or Derivative Policies
- January 20, 2025 EO 14161: "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats"
- January 29, 2025 EO 14188 § 3(e) directs agencies to report on recommendations for higher-education institutions to monitor and report noncitizen students and staff for possible removal
- March 6, 2025 State Department launches "Catch and Revoke" initiative to revoke visas of students engaged in "pro-Hamas" activity
- March 25, 2025 Reported: DOS directive instructs consular officers to review all student-visa applicants' social media for terrorism-related inadmissibility
- April 18, 2025 Palantir granted $30 million to build "ImmigrationOS" surveillance platform for ICE
- September 11, 2025 DOS directs consular officers to take "appropriate action" regarding noncitizens' speech about Charlie Kirk assassination
- October 2, 2025 DHS solicits investigation and analytical services to support ICE operations
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
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New Policy
Original Source:
2025.10.17 Complaint - UAW v. Dep't of State
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