The Trump administration says they have revoked more than 300 student visas, with some international students detained without warning and held far from their homes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the crackdown Thursday, saying the government is targeting students accused of activism—many involved in pro-Palestinian protests—labeling them “lunatics.”
“We do it every day,” Rubio said.
“Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas.”
WHY IT MATTERS: Trump is using the machinery of the state to silence dissent, criminalize activism, and deport students—here legally—for exercising free speech.
THE DETAILS: In multiple cases, students have been arrested by immigration agents without warning and sent to detention centers far from their universities.
– Tufts Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, from Turkey, was pulled off the street and is now detained in Louisiana—despite having a valid visa.
– Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, was also arrested with no clear reason given.
THE BROADER EFFORT: At least one student targeted appeared on far-right “watchlists” that were handed to the Trump administration by pro-Israel groups.
– Trump’s allies have long promised to deport foreign students who expressed support for Palestinians or protested U.S. foreign policy.
– Activists and legal groups say the arrests are retaliatory and an effort to chill anti-war speech on campuses.
WHO ELSE IS BEING TARGETED:
– Columbia student Yunseo Chung, a legal permanent resident, is fighting deportation despite never needing a visa.
– Palestinian student Leqaa Kordia was arrested for overstaying a visa after participating in protests.
– Georgetown teaching assistant Badar Khan Suri is in ICE detention in Texas, accused of spreading “Hamas propaganda”—a label critics say is a cover for punishing anti-Israel views.
– Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, remains detained and faces dual deportation cases.
THE BACKLASH:
– Civil rights experts warn that this wave of arrests sets a dangerous precedent: using immigration law as a political weapon.
– “This is an attack on speech,” said lawyer Samah Sisay. “This administration is saying that certain speech can get you detained and deported.”
– Columbia University recently capitulated to Trump’s pressure by overhauling campus protest policies after threats to pull $400 million in research funds.
WHAT’S NEXT: ICE detentions and deportation proceedings are expected to continue, as Trump’s crackdown on immigrant students becomes a central weapon in his war on dissent.