Monrovia, June 25 -- The U.S. embassy in Monrovia has "requested" all visa applicants from Liberia to change their social media settings from private to "public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law." The measure is part of a sweeping new policy introduced last week by the Trump administration to tighten "screening and vetting for visa applicants."

The embassy said measure applied to "all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa." F visas are academic students. M visas are for vocational students, while I visas are for cultural and educational exchange purposes. The Trump administration says the policy is intended to prevent hostile foreign actor...