Key points
- At least 300 visas have been revoked
- Days when Israeli military actions in Gaza sparked protests across US campuses are now a thing of the past
- Immigration authorities announced they will look at social media accounts
ISLAMABAD: The Trump administration has revoked visas of hundreds of international students and detained roughly a dozen others on college campuses across the US, often without any warning or recourse for appeals.
Student protests that spread across the US in support of Palestine and peace, and against the Israeli war on Gaza, were dealt with a heavy hand by the US authorities. These protests, because of the crackdown, have now become a thing of the past.
According to BBC, videos of some of the arrests, showing plain-clothes officers handcuff and arrest students near their homes, have gone viral and sent shockwaves through the international student community. Many of those targeted have participated in some form of pro-Palestinian activity.
Over 80 universities have reported revoked visas, according to a tracker by Inside Higher Ed, hitting students and faculty from coast-to-coast.
300 visas revoked
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed last month that at least 300 visas have been revoked, adding that the department was targeting those who were involved in activities that “run counter” to US national interests.
According to CNN, an increasing number of student deportation threats involve the revocation of visas based on relatively minor offenses like years-old misdemeanors, according to immigration attorneys, or sometimes no reason at all.
According to New York Times, nearly 300 international students were abruptly stripped of their ability to stay in the United States in recent days, according to universities and media reports, sowing fear among students and confusion at schools scrambling to help students facing detention and possible deportation.
Harvard to Stanford
The moves targeted students at a wide range of universities, from private institutions like Harvard and Stanford to public ones like the University of Texas at Austin and Minnesota State University-Mankato. The University of California had dozens of cases reported across its campuses.
According to Dawn, the growing wave of visa revocations, detentions, and deportations is sending shockwaves across US campuses, leaving foreign students — particularly those linked to pro-Palestinian activism — facing increasing uncertainty.
Days when Israeli military actions in Gaza sparked US-wide protests across American campuses are now a thing of the past. Today, universities face a new reality, where even minor infractions could lead to the cancellation of student visas.
“We’ll continue”
In a recent briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce indicated that the gloves were off, saying: “[T]he department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we’ll continue to do so”.
On Wednesday, immigration authorities announced they will look at social media accounts and deny visas or residence permits to people who post content considered anti-Semitic by President Donald Trump’s administration.
