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Trump administration advances immigration crackdown on foreign student protesters
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem on February 16, 2025.
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Evelyn Hockstein
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AFP via Getty Images
)
The Trump administration is ramping up penalties against students who engaged in protests against the war in Gaza, revoking the visas of hundreds of alleged demonstrators.
"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," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Thursday news conference, estimating that more than 300 student visas have been revoked so far.
"If we've given you a visa and then you decide to do that, we're going to take it away."
Rubio's comments come as several headlines have emerged regarding the detainment of foreign students in the United States due to their participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
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This week, surveillance video emerged showing Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Öztürk being arrested near her off-campus apartment in Somerville, Mass., by federal agents.
Öztürk, who was heading to meet friends for an iftar dinner to break her Ramadan fast, was quickly surrounded by masked, plainclothes officers and taken into custody.
The visibly frightened Turkish-born PhD student raised her hands and let out a scream as the agents closed in on her and took her phone.
"I know this seems scary," one agent said. "We're the police."
A bystander replied, "Well, you don't look like it. Why are you hiding your faces?"
Öztürk, 30, is currently being held in a federal facility in Louisiana.
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Last year, Öztürk co-wrote an op-ed for the school's newspaper criticizing the university's response to the war in Gaza and demanding that the institution take steps to "hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law."
Attorney Masha Khanbabai did not return an NPR request for comment.
In a letter to the Tufts community on Tuesday, university President Sunil Kumar said the school had no warning that Öztürk would be targeted for detainment and had not provided authorities with any information about her before her arrest.
"We recognize how frightening and distressing this situation is for her, her loved ones and the larger community here at Tufts, especially our international students, staff and faculty who may be feeling vulnerable or unsettled by these events," Kumar wrote in a statement , describing the footage of Öztürk's arrest as "disturbing."
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in Somerville on Wednesday demanding Öztürk's release and an end to what detractors have likened to state-sanctioned kidnapping.
Rubio pledged that more of these arrests would follow, saying student activists pose a threat to U.S. national security and, without providing evidence, accusing them of causing damage to university property.
"Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa," he said on Thursday.
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"We're looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up."
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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