Amid the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has made it clear that America’s visas are a “privilege, not a right”.
“Visiting America is not an entitlement. It is a privilege extended to those who respect our laws and values,” Marco Rubio wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News.
The US secretary of state’s article came amid a nationwide crackdown on pro-Palestine protests, particularly on college campuses. The Trump administration in February created the multi-agency task force to “root out antisemitism” and announced it would visit 10 college campuses that experienced incidents of antisemitism, including Harvard and Columbia.
“US visa holders should know in no uncertain terms that the U.S. government’s rigorous security vetting does not end once a visa is granted,” Marco Rubio argued while once again speaking up against pro-Palestinian campus protests.
He said “foreigners” shut down elite college campuses for American citizens, and accused international students of “harassing” Jewish students. “The Trump administration is committed to taking the necessary steps to stop these activities at American universities,” he added.
“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), aliens who endorse or espouse terrorist activity or persuade others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization – such as Hamas – are ineligible for U.S. visas,” Rubio wrote.
Rubio asserted that the INA gives the administration the authority to revoke a visa. “This authority is fundamental to safeguarding our national security, as well as protecting Americans and lawful visitors within our borders. The Trump administration’s commitment to security and the enforcement of our immigration laws is unprecedented and unwavering. We expect – and the law requires – all visa holders to demonstrate their eligibility every day their visa is valid. This includes respecting our laws, behaving appropriately according to their visa type, and continuing to meet these standards throughout their stay in our country,” he added.
International students file legal challenges over widespread US visa revocations
Several international students, who have had their visas revoked, in recent weeks have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing the government denied them due process when it suddenly took away their permission to be in the US.
The actions by the federal government to terminate students’ legal status have left hundreds of scholars at risk of detention and deportation. Their schools range from private universities like Harvard and Stanford to large public institutions like the University of Maryland and Ohio State University to some small liberal arts colleges.
In lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, students have argued the government lacked justification to cancel their visa or terminate their legal status.
Why is the government cancelling international students’ visas?
Visas can be cancelled for a number of reasons, but colleges say some students are being singled out over infractions as minor as traffic violations, including some long in the past. In some cases, students say it’s unclear why they were targeted.
In New Hampshire, a federal judge last week issued a restraining order in the case of a Dartmouth College computer science student from China, Xiaotian Liu, who had his status terminated by the government. Attorneys have filed similar challenges in federal court in Georgia and California.
In some high-profile cases, including the detention of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, President Donald Trump’s administration has argued it should be allowed to deport noncitizens over involvement in pro-Palestinian activism. But in the vast majority of visa revocations, colleges say there is no indication affected students had a role in protests.
How do student visas work?
Students in other countries must meet a series of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually an F-1. After gaining admission to a school in the US, students go through an application and interview process at a US embassy or consulate abroad.
Students on an F-1 visa must show they have enough financial support for their course of study in the US. They have to remain in good standing with their academic program and are generally limited in their ability to work off-campus during their academic program.
The State Department manages entry visas. Once in the US, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program under the Department of Homeland Security oversees international students’ legal status.
In recent weeks, leaders at many colleges learned the legal residency status of some of their international students had been terminated when college staff checked a database managed by Homeland Security. In the past, college officials said that legal statuses were typically updated after colleges told the government that the students were no longer studying at the school.
(With inputs from AP)
