India, April 26 -- The Trump administration has ordered US government agencies to deny green cards to immigrants that express views critical of the Israeli government or its policies. Green cards are documents that allow immigrants to live legally in the US and gain a path to citizenship.

The Trump administration directive says that green card applicants will be vetted for anti-American and "anti-semitic" views, and can be denied a green card for posting criticism of Israel on social media, participating in pro-Palestinian protests and desecrating the American flag, according to internal Department of Homeland Security training materials reviewed by The New York Times.

The directive includes criticism of Israel as a factor that can disq...