In the nearly three months since Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States on January 19, his administration has canceled the visas of more than 600 international students studying at over 100 higher education institutions across the country.
A significant portion of these students had participated in protests last year demanding an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Others lost their visas for minor infractions such as boarding public transportation without a ticket or exceeding speed limits while driving.
According to a report by The Guardian, citing U.S. education news portal Inside Higher Ed, many of these visa cancellations were made without prior communication with the institutions involved. School officials reported they had received no documentation from U.S. immigration authorities regarding these actions.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a recent visit to Guyana, confirmed that over 300 international student visas had already been canceled and described the protesting students as “lunatics.” He stated, “Possibly more than 300 (students) have had their visas canceled so far. There will be more. We’re doing this every day. We want to rid U.S. institutions of madness.”
The Trump administration has resumed a hardline immigration policy, similar to Trump’s first term in office. Thousands of undocumented immigrants have already been deported, and at least one million individuals who were granted residence during President Biden’s term have been ordered to return to their home countries.