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AntiWar.com
by Connor Freeman
April 20, 2025
In recent weeks, more than 1,500 international undergraduate and graduate students from over 240 colleges have had their J-1 or F-1 visas revoked by Washington without notifying students or their respective universities. The revocations mean the students will not be permitted to finish their studies in person and will have to return to their home countries.
The schools became aware of these changes to the students’ legal statuses by checking international student records contained in the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Middle East Eye reported that at least three universities received no prior notice about the visa cancellations and were not informed of any reasons for the students’ legal status terminations.
As the outlet noted, “But terminating a record in the SEVIS system doesn’t necessarily mean the individual’s immigrant status in the country has been terminated. All of the revocations share a common thread – none of the students have been charged with a crime.”
“Many of the targets of the visa revocations and arrests are students who participated in pro-Palestine protests… Others are individuals with more indirect links to Palestine – or those who have shown support for Gaza on social media.”
Beyond the highly publicized cases of Palestinian protesters Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both Columbia students and green card holders, as well as Turkish national and Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk and others who have been persecuted for their antiwar work, Drop Site News reports that many non-activist students are now facing deportation over arrest records, even if they were never convicted. In some cases, visas have been revoked over minor infractions such as speeding tickets and other traffic violations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been utilizing an immigration act, which has been seldomly invoked, to remove student activists, claiming their presence in the United States poses a threat to Washington’s foreign policy goals. This includes continued support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, most notably in the besieged Gaza Strip where well over 100,000 men, women, and children have been slaughtered and maimed.
Rubio declared last month that international students participating in protests on college campuses and other activism will have their visas revoked.
Despite Rubio’s characterization of these students “tearing things up,” thus far it appears the students are not being forced out of the country for crimes committed but rather for their involvement in activism against the bipartisan support for war crimes in Palestine.
A massive movement of protests on college campuses erupted last year in response to President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for the Israeli war on Gaza and across the region. Although the movement has been smeared as anti-Jewish in character by Israel supporters inside and outside the government, groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now maintained a huge presence, on and off campus, among the protesters.
Trump’s administration appears to be rounding up foreign activists who opposed Biden’s genocidal policies in Palestine which Trump has inherited and predictably escalated. The current White House has ramped up the bombing campaign in Yemen and launched a build up for war with Iran.
Amir Makled, an attorney based in Michigan representing high-profile pro-Palestinian protesters’ cases, told MEE “What we’re seeing and what we’re witnessing is a coordinated effort to punish student protesting, especially when it comes to pro-Palestinian protests. This used to be very protected political dissent.” He added students are being targeted for their constitutionally protected speech. Makled also noted that immigration lawyers are being targeted concurrently by the administration.
Full article:
news.antiwar.com
AntiWar.com
by Connor Freeman
April 20, 2025
In recent weeks, more than 1,500 international undergraduate and graduate students from over 240 colleges have had their J-1 or F-1 visas revoked by Washington without notifying students or their respective universities. The revocations mean the students will not be permitted to finish their studies in person and will have to return to their home countries.
The schools became aware of these changes to the students’ legal statuses by checking international student records contained in the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Middle East Eye reported that at least three universities received no prior notice about the visa cancellations and were not informed of any reasons for the students’ legal status terminations.
As the outlet noted, “But terminating a record in the SEVIS system doesn’t necessarily mean the individual’s immigrant status in the country has been terminated. All of the revocations share a common thread – none of the students have been charged with a crime.”
“Many of the targets of the visa revocations and arrests are students who participated in pro-Palestine protests… Others are individuals with more indirect links to Palestine – or those who have shown support for Gaza on social media.”
Beyond the highly publicized cases of Palestinian protesters Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both Columbia students and green card holders, as well as Turkish national and Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk and others who have been persecuted for their antiwar work, Drop Site News reports that many non-activist students are now facing deportation over arrest records, even if they were never convicted. In some cases, visas have been revoked over minor infractions such as speeding tickets and other traffic violations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been utilizing an immigration act, which has been seldomly invoked, to remove student activists, claiming their presence in the United States poses a threat to Washington’s foreign policy goals. This includes continued support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, most notably in the besieged Gaza Strip where well over 100,000 men, women, and children have been slaughtered and maimed.
Rubio declared last month that international students participating in protests on college campuses and other activism will have their visas revoked.
Despite Rubio’s characterization of these students “tearing things up,” thus far it appears the students are not being forced out of the country for crimes committed but rather for their involvement in activism against the bipartisan support for war crimes in Palestine.
A massive movement of protests on college campuses erupted last year in response to President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for the Israeli war on Gaza and across the region. Although the movement has been smeared as anti-Jewish in character by Israel supporters inside and outside the government, groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now maintained a huge presence, on and off campus, among the protesters.
Trump’s administration appears to be rounding up foreign activists who opposed Biden’s genocidal policies in Palestine which Trump has inherited and predictably escalated. The current White House has ramped up the bombing campaign in Yemen and launched a build up for war with Iran.
Amir Makled, an attorney based in Michigan representing high-profile pro-Palestinian protesters’ cases, told MEE “What we’re seeing and what we’re witnessing is a coordinated effort to punish student protesting, especially when it comes to pro-Palestinian protests. This used to be very protected political dissent.” He added students are being targeted for their constitutionally protected speech. Makled also noted that immigration lawyers are being targeted concurrently by the administration.
Full article:
DHS Revokes Visas of Over 1,500 Students, None Charged With Any Crimes - News From Antiwar.com
In recent weeks, more than 1,500 international undergraduate and graduate students from over 240 colleges have had their J-1 or F-1 visas revoked by Washington without notifying students or their respective universities. The revocations mean the students will not be permitted to finish their...
news.antiwar.com
