State Department requires more extensive visa vetting for Harvard: Reports

• Harvard told the court "too many international students to count" have asked for information about transferring from the university.

The latest: The State Department's enhanced vetting measures aim to ensure "consular officers can appropriately identify" visa applicants with "histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence, and to duly consider the visa eligibility under U.S. immigration law," CNN reported of a diplomatic cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

• He reportedly says in the cable if in the prescreening or interviewing process an applicant seeks to work at, attend or otherwise visit to Harvard, consular offices are instructed to refuse the visa "pending review of their online presence."
• That means "a complete screening of the online presence" including social media activity, per the reported cable.
• "As in all instances in which an applicant fails to provide certain information on request, consular officers should consider whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to 'private' or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant's credibility," the cable reportedly said.

Catch up quick: The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard after the university refused to cave into the administration's demands made in an alleged effort to stop antisemitism.

Harvard did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment, and the State Department declined to comment, explaining it "does not comment on internal communications."

Go deeper: How the Trump administration has hammered Harvard

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from the State Department.