Summary
- The Trump administration revoked over 6,000 student visas.
- Revocations began January 20, 2025.
- The State Department announced visa cancellations.
- Action affects international students in the US.
- Cancellations raise concerns for affected students.
About 200 to 300 persons had their visas revoked for "supporting terrorism," according to officials, while another 4,000 had violated the law.
These individuals were among the approximately 40,000 whose documents were revoked during the second Trump administration, as opposed to 16,000 during the Biden administration.
"Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States,"
a senior State Department official said.
"About 4,000 visas alone have been revoked because these visitors broke the law while visiting our country, including records of assault and DUIs."
Officials merely stated that the events included assault, burglary, and driving under the influence; they did not provide a breakdown of the incidents or indicate the proportion of violent offenses.
Additionally, a number of students who had overstayed their visas—which is often a civil infraction rather than a criminal one—were instructed to depart.
The directive to all U.S. embassies to check applicants' social media profiles for indications of "hostility" toward the "citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States" comes as the White House steps up its attempts to monitor foreign students' political views.
The government has specifically targeted pro-Palestinian activists, accusing them of being supporters of Hamas, a terrorist organization designated by the United States, sometimes with scant supporting evidence.
Despite multiple court decisions favoring him, Trump's border czar Tom Homan earlier this month pledged to keep attempting to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and green card holder.
In an effort to pressure the 400-year-old university to clamp down on student demonstrations and hire more conservative faculty, the administration has repeatedly attempted to prevent Harvard University from accepting foreign students and instructors.
The industry group NAFSA predicts a 30 to 40 percent decline in new international enrollments by autumn 2025, suggesting that these new regulations are chilling potential students.
What legal grounds are used for revoking student visas under Trump’s policies?
Visas are revoked if students commit crimes such as assault, DUI, burglary, or other criminal acts. Such violations make them ineligible under immigration law.
The administration has used Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which allows cancellation of visas if the individual’s presence is deemed a threat to U.S. foreign policy or national security. This includes alleged support for terrorist activities even without formal charges.
Many visa revocations have targeted students accused of supporting or fundraising for Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations, often based on social media activity or participation in protests, even if peaceful. The law grants broad executive discretion to revoke visas on such grounds.