Trump administration causes turmoil over international students’ visas

In a surprising U-turn, the Trump administration has reversed efforts to revoke the student visas of thousands of international students studying in the United States.

The move comes after weeks of backlash from students, universities, and federal judges.

The Department of Justice announced on 25 April that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be reinstating the immigration records of those affected.

The American Immigration Law Association estimates that 4,700 students were affected prior to Trump’s backtracking.

Students’ records were wiped, they were blocked from attending classes or accessing resources, and were put at risk of deportation.

The eruption in F-1 or J-1 visa terminations was the latest development in Trump’s incessant crackdown on immigration and alleged antisemitism

The US government’s ‘Catch and Revoke’ programme, launched by the State Department, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to scour social media for foreign nationals suspected of supporting Hamas or other designated terror groups.

Looking for alleged terrorist sympathies, the programme is then used to target foreign nationals and revoke their student visas.

The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has the authority to revoke visas from foreign students believed to be a threat, owing to the Immigration Nationality Act (1952).

The eruption in F-1 or J-1 visa terminations was the latest development in Trump’s incessant crackdown on immigration and alleged antisemitism.

Government officials are dissatisfied with the number of previous visa revocations, alleging that the Biden administration turned a blind eye toward enforcement.

Rubio has labelled pro-Palestine student protestors as “celebrating what Hamas has done” and said that “those people need to go”.

One lawsuit described the terminations as ‘arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not otherwise in accordance with law and the Constitution’

This rhetoric comes directly from the White House, with Trump having declared earlier this year: “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice. We will find you, and we will deport you.”

Many students were left baffled as to why they lost their status.

One lawsuit described the terminations as “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not otherwise in accordance with law and the Constitution”.

For many students, their status is still unclear, especially for those who have been involved in major legal cases over this period.

With ICE retaining the authority to act in cases of supposed risk to national security, it is unclear to what extent this rhetoric may be used against students accused of ‘terrorist sympathies’ for supporting Palestine.

The increasing control of ICE over university campuses has made many Americans concerned over the Trump administration’s increasing clamp-down on political dissent.