Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that the U.S. has revoked at least 300 student visas as part of a Trump administration initiative targeting foreign nationals involved in campus protests or activities deemed disruptive, the New York Post reports. Rubio emphasized that the visa cancellations are a daily effort to expel individuals who, according to the administration, pose threats to national security or endorse terrorist organizations like Hamas.
“We do it every day,” the secretary of state said regarding the revocation of student visas. “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.”
Rubio defended the policy, stating that students who misrepresent their intentions upon entering the U.S. or engage in activities such as vandalism, harassment, or building occupations will lose their visas.
The initiative, which has been dubbed “Catch and Revoke,” uses artificial intelligence to monitor social media accounts for signs of support for terrorist groups, such as Hamas.
Recent cases taken up by the State Department include the revocation of visas for anti-Israel activists at Columbia University and Tufts University, where protests led to arrests and criticism of university policies. The Trump administration has taken action against purported organizers of last year’s anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, where demonstrators reportedly harassed Jewish students and occupied Hamilton Hall.
One notable incident involved Umeys Ozturk, a Turkish Fulbright scholar detained by ICE agents had her student visa “terminated” by the Trump administration over her alleged “activities in support of Hamas,” the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.
According to The Post, additionally, “Former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil – a green card holder – was detained by ICE on March 8 and is slated for deportation for allegedly distributing pro-Hamas flyers at the Ivy League school.”
Rubio maintained that the policy is necessary for national security, suggesting that the situation should have been handled a long time ago, before it was able to spiral out of control.
“I don’t care what movement you’re involved in,” Rubio argued according to The Post. “Why would any country in the world allow people to come and disrupt? We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses.”
“If you come into the United States as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don’t want it,” he continued. “We don’t want it in our country. Go back and do it in your country. But you’re not going to do it in our country.”
These dangerous student agitators are here on VISAs… That is a privilege that can be revoked.
They need to be sent back to their own countries.
Finally . . . after all the crap and damages they have spread they get a one-way trip back to their homeland that, if their belligerent attitude continues they could be in jail, stoned to death or get the famous . . . “can you fly” . . . from the 10th story.
Good riddance . . . back to a learning environment for American and friendly foreign students.
IT’S LONG OVER DUE!!!