The Donald Trump Administration has issued new guidelines for granting residency cards which—though not yet publicly disclosed—could deny residency to those who have participated in acts considered pro-Palestinian, antisemitic, or involving the burning of the national flag, according to The New York Times.

The rules are contained in internal training materials from the Department of Homeland Security, which instructs officials to consider the expression of political opinions when evaluating an immigrant's petition for permanent residency or a "green card," the Times noted on Monday after accessing the documents.

According to these directives, Homeland Security officers must refer all cases involving possible anti-American and/or antisemitic conduct or ideologies to their superiors and to the agency's Office of the General Counsel for review, the newspaper highlights.

Under these new rules, even if the immigrant has not broken the law, expressing their views will be considered as endorsing, promoting, or supporting anti-American opinions or terrorism, antisemitic ideologies, or groups, resulting in the denial of residency and, consequently, their path to citizenship, the daily reports.

Immigration agents have been instructed to weigh these factors as overwhelmingly negative, according to the Times, which notes that the documents cite support for subversive ideologies as one of the factors that could lead to the rejection of an application.

The guidelines also include what the Administration considers antisemitism through rhetorical or physical actions and asks officials to focus particularly on foreigners who participated in anti-American and antisemitic activities on university campuses following the Hamas attacks against Israel in 2023, according to the newspaper's analysis.

Burning the United States flag is another cause for denying a "green card" application, even though the Supreme Court ruled that it is an act protected by freedom of speech. In August of last year, Trump signed an executive order aimed at punishing the burning of the national ensign.

Following the news, the New York Immigration Coalition asserted that freedom of speech is a fundamental pillar of democracy enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their place of birth.

The coalition's president, Murad Awawdeh, warned that Trump is taking a dangerous step toward punishing immigrants for the public expression of their beliefs, something he considered part of the Administration's broader deportation agenda.

The Trump Administration’s new policy effectively censures individuals and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the rights of all Americans, Awawdeh stated.