Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters last week that the State Department has revoked 300 or more student visas — including ones which belonged to students who participated in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.
“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 visa,” Rubio said at a March 27 news conference in Georgetown, Guyana. “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them.”
A State Department spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the Department has “broad authority to revoke visas” under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
“We exercise that authority when information comes to light indicating that a visa holder may be no longer be eligible for a visa,” the spokesperson wrote to the DP. “As the Secretary indicated, the Department revokes visas every day in order to secure America’s borders and keep our communities safe -- and will continue to do so.”
"Because the process is ongoing, the number of revocations is dynamic. The Department generally does not provide statistics on visa revocations, and we do not have anything additional to provide at this time," the spokesperson added.
The DP is unable to confirm if any Penn students have had their visas revoked. A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
In February, 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to identify and deport non-citizen participants, including college students, in pro-Palestinian protests.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump said in the fact sheet for the order. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
Rubio's comments come after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained 2024 Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was a pro-Palestinian activist and the lead negotiator for Columbia’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment last spring. His detention prompted nationwide protests, including multiple in Philadelphia within the past month.
On March 25, masked ICE officers detained Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk. Öztürk — an international student from Turkey on a valid F-1 student visa — has since had her visa revoked. A federal judge ruled Friday to temporarily halt her deportation.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
