State Department Cancels Thousands of US Visas

Since President Donald Trump took office, the State Department has canceled thousands of visas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified during a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 20, writes Team.

Photo: Joe Sohm | Dreamstime.com

“We still have a lot to do,” Rubio said. “We will continue to revoke the visas of those who are here as guests and who are disruptive to our educational institutions.”

That estimate represents a significant increase from late March, when Rubio said the number of student visas revoked was 300.

"A visa is not a right, but a privilege," he said on March 20.

On the subject: The US deported 130 illegal immigrants from post-Soviet countries: Uzbekistan paid for the expulsion of its citizens in full

The Trump administration has begun canceling student visas as part of a broader push to tighten immigration policies. International students who have expressed pro-Palestinian views have come under particular scrutiny after protesters set up hundreds of tent camps at colleges and universities across the country in an attempt to pressure schools to divest from Israel. Students and faculty have expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

At least one student, Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this year after writing an op-ed criticizing the university for refusing to recognize Senate resolutions related to the conflict in Gaza.

Ozturk has since been released from custody. Another detained student, Columbia University's Mahmoud Khalil, one of the main organizers of the student camps, remains in a detention center in Louisiana, where he has been held for nine weeks.

The administration in April tried to revoke the immigration status of thousands of international students. But later that month, it backed away from those plans. About 4700 international students were expected to be affected. The administration was forced to abandon the plan after a wave of lawsuits and protests. The Justice Department announced that the students’ immigration records would be restored.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New Y

Relations between the Trump administration and higher education institutions remain tense, with federal officials seeking to pressure universities like Harvard to comply with the administration's directives, including ending all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or risk cutting off federal funding.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Two Ukrainian women voted illegally in Florida elections: now they will be tried

Green Card Lottery 2026 Results Released: How to Check if You've Won

US Revokes Visas: Deports Hundreds of Students and Teachers

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.