The US State Department announced Monday that it has cancelled more than 6,000 student visas since Marco Rubio assumed office as Secretary of State seven months ago.
Rubio has embraced an expansive interpretation of an old statute granting him the authority to revoke visas of individuals considered harmful to US foreign policy interests — a move cheered by President Donald Trump’s conservative supporters.
According to a State Department official, “The State Department has revoked over 6,000 student visas for overstays and law violations, the vast majority being assault, DUI, burglary and support for terrorism.” The official clarified that about 4,000 of those cases were tied to violations of US law.
While the department provided no details on the nationalities of those affected, Rubio has been outspoken about monitoring Chinese students more closely. In March, he told reporters, “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” adding that revocations were happening on a daily basis.
He has also singled out students who have staged protests against Israel, accusing them of anti-Semitism — allegations that activists firmly reject.
The administration’s aggressive stance has faced challenges in court. Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident who organized pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, was released in June by judicial order after being detained. Khalil, whose son was born during his detention, has since sued the Trump administration, accusing it of attempting to “terrorize” him.
In another case, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University who criticized Israel in a campus newspaper article, was freed by a judge in May. She had been detained by plainclothes officers who reportedly apprehended her on a Massachusetts street.
Rubio has defended the crackdown, insisting that visa decisions are fully within the executive branch’s discretion. He maintains that non-citizens do not possess the same constitutional protections as Americans, including free speech right
