The union sued the Trump administration over social media surveillance of visa holders

Three labor unions filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Thursday, arguing that the federal government violated the rules. First Amendment Rights Visa holders legally in the US using the program to search social media for particular viewpoints, including criticism of the US government and Israel.

The United Auto Workers, Communication Workers of America and the American Federation of Teachers sued the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It comes after the State Department said it had revoked the visas of at least six people over comments they made on social media following the killing of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month.

“Plaintiffs represent thousands of people whose speech is chilled by the threat of adverse immigration action if the government rejects anything expressed or expressed,” the lawsuit reads.

Trump administration to screen legal immigrant applicants for ‘anti-Americanism’ and opposition

Three labor unions sued the Trump administration over alleged First Amendment violations of visa holders. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Administration officials have alleged that aliens do not have the same constitutional rights as American citizens and are not entitled to visas, because the federal government wants to target them for speech.

“The United States has no obligation to allow foreign nationals into our country who engage in anti-American, anti-terrorist and anti-Semitic acts or incite violence. We will continue to revoke the visas of those who threaten the safety of our citizens,” State Department principal deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

The lawsuit draws attention to high-profile cases and comments by federal officials that the government program uses artificial intelligence and other automated tools to monitor the status of visa holders and target people critical of the Trump administration and what the government considers “hateful ideology.”

The federal government has broadly defined support for terrorism to include criticism of US support for Israel and the Jewish state’s military operations, as well as support for the Palestinians. The government has used it to cancel visas.

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The State Department said it had revoked the visas of at least six people over comments they made on social media about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination last month. (Getty Images)

The union’s complaint refers to the case of green card holder Mahmoud Khalil, who was released in June after months of detention after the government tried to deport him for participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

The lawsuit says immigration threats have motivated some to take views the government disapproves of Union member withdrawing from publicly engaging with their union while organizing events, stepping down from leadership roles and “deleting, avoiding or otherwise altering their social media and online engagement with the union.”

“This loss of investment has harmed Plaintiffs’ ability to further their organizational functions and impeded their ability to carry out 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.

Many union members have stopped speaking out because “the government has promised and proven that saying the wrong thing can have life-changing immigration consequences, especially for visa holders and lawful permanent residents,” the complaint reads.

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

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Since becoming President Donald Trump Back in the White House in January, the administration has sought online posts to target foreigners for the possibility of revoking their visas.

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

Over the summer, the State Department said it would begin requesting applicants to make their social media accounts public for government monitoring, and interview applicants to determine who might pose a national security threat.

Reuters contributed to this report.