International students across at least 32 states are losing their visas without clear explanations, according to a report by NBC News.
Many are being detained by plainclothes officers, with visa revocations reportedly tied to political activism, old arrests, or social media posts.
“It’s just part of their whole plan about reducing immigration entirely,” said Jath Shao, a Cleveland-based immigration attorney.
“They come after the small and the weak — people who don’t have as many resources to defend themselves.”
Most affected are those on F-1 and J-1 visas, which are for full-time students and exchange visitors.
Students from California to North Carolina have had visas revoked. Schools like Stanford say they only discovered the cancellations through internal database checks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas.”
Some targeted students include Mahmoud Khalil of Columbia University and Rümeysa Öztürk of Tufts University—both pro-Palestinian activists. Others, like University of Minnesota student Doğukan Günaydın, were flagged for previous offenses like DUI.
Officials are reportedly using a rarely invoked 1952 statute that allows visa revocation for “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Critics say the policy disproportionately affects nonwhite students.
“U.S. immigration policy seems to be driven by xenophobia, white nationalism and racism right now,” said Elora Mukherjee of Columbia Law School.
While the government has wide discretion in revoking visas, Mukherjee emphasised students still have due process rights. “We are at the brink of a breakdown in the rule of law and the immigration space,” she said.
Shao urged universities to step up: “The school should try to help the kids as much as they can.”
