300 Visas Revoked Over Palestine Solidarity—What’s Next for Foreign Students After Trump’s Incitement?

Under the pretext of “supporting Hamas,” the Trump administration ramped up the cancellation of visas for foreign students, expelling them from U.S. educational institutions in a discriminatory and hysterical move. This came alongside plans to impose further restrictions on accepting foreign students, particularly Arabs and Muslims.

Videos and images circulated showing U.S. security agencies tracking down seven students in their dorms and on the streets, arresting them, shackling them, and canceling their visas. These students were part of the 300 individuals announced for deportation.

Among the latest cases was the abduction of Turkish doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk from Tufts University in Massachusetts. She was detained after writing an article for the university’s journal in defense of Gaza.

The crackdown on students and academics supporting Palestinians, alongside their deportations, has raised concerns about the fate of these students' education and their ongoing doctoral studies.

300 Students Deported

On March 27, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the cancellation of over 300 students' visas, for protesting against “Israel” while enrolled as students, claiming they had no right to protest. 

Rubio, who appeared with a cross on his forehead, took action to expel these students and halt their studies, as part of his efforts “to combat” student movements in U.S. universities that support Palestine and oppose “Israel.”

Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, Rubio has boasted about his “steadfast stance” against what he calls the threat posed by pro-Palestinian student movements.

A report published by Axios on March 27, 2025, revealed that the Trump administration is planning further measures to impose “new restrictions” on the acceptance of foreign students in certain U.S. universities, under the guise of combating “Hamas support.”

The report, citing sources in the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, stated that the administration is considering new limitations on the acceptance of foreign students, aimed at preventing individuals suspected of supporting Hamas from enrolling in U.S. higher education institutions.

One U.S. official told Axios that any institution with foreign students will be subject to some level of scrutiny.

The idea of preventing universities from enrolling students with visas stems from Rubio’s “Catch and Revoke” program, focusing on students protesting “Israel’s genocide on Gaza.”

Axios also confirmed that more than 300 foreign students had their visas canceled within just three weeks of the AI-driven program's implementation.

Ozturk was the seventh foreign student or academic to be detained for protesting against “Israel” and supporting Palestinian human rights under “the accusation” of supporting Hamas.

Sharp Criticism

U.S. media outlets have started aligning with the Trump administration's claims to justify the deportation of students.

CNN, on March 27, alleged that the abduction and deportation of the Turkish student was due to her coming to America to engage in activities supporting Hamas, “a foreign terrorist organization that enjoys killing Americans!”

Among the seven who were brutally detained was Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University. Trump’s security forces attacked him inside his dormitory, arresting him and imprisoning him on March 8, 2025. The reason: he led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year, condemning Israeli Occupation’s genocide in Gaza.

Indian researcher at Georgetown University, Badar Khan Suri, was also among those arrested by security forces for deportation on charges of “spreading Hamas propaganda and anti-Semitism.” However, U.S. judge Patricia Tolliver Giles halted the decision.

Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian PhD student at the University of Alabama, was detained by U.S. immigration authorities following incitement against him by Jewish.

Another detainee, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student who participated in the spring 2024 protests at Columbia University, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials after they claimed she overstayed her student visa.

Even Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student who joined the protests, faced deportation threats despite being a legal permanent resident who didn’t need a student visa, having moved to the U.S. from South Korea as a child.

The Palestine solidarity protests that began at Columbia University spread to over 50 universities across the country, with police detaining more than 3,100 people, most of whom were students and faculty members.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post on March 28, writer Kathleen Parker summarized the situation for students, stating: “Under Trump, free speech is a right for the chosen,” referencing the deprivation of free speech for non-Jews, restricting it to Zionists.

Kathleen also called the arrest of the Turkish doctoral student from Tufts University “chilling,” adding that the allegations against her for breaking the law were untrue.

During his presidential campaign, Trump heavily criticized the student protests held at various U.S. universities against the Israeli bombing of Gaza. He also sharply criticized the universities hosting events in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, arguing that such events “encourage anti-Semitism.”

University Outrage

In response to the aggressive, racist security policy targeting Arab and Muslim students—under the pretext of supporting Hamas simply for opposing the Israeli genocide in Gaza—students and faculty members at U.S. universities have mobilized to reject such measures from two perspectives:

First, they see it as an assault on civil liberties and academic freedom. Second, they view it as a victory for Israeli war on Gaza, categorizing those who oppose the genocide as “anti-Semitic.”

Columbia University professors took to the streets in protest, claiming their demonstration was aimed at protecting academic freedom. However, they avoided mentioning Gaza, focusing instead on the classification of anyone opposing “Israel” under the guise of fighting “anti-Semitism.” This could be seen as an attempt to avoid confrontation with Trump and the Zionist lobby.

Professors protested against the Trump administration's decisions to revoke foreign students' visas and deport them, framing their opposition solely within the context of “academic freedom.” However, students criticized the professors for avoiding the true cause—Palestine.

The faculty protests did not mention Palestine, the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, or the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested 2,000 kilometers away and faces deportation.

Faculty members carried signs that read “Defend research;” “Defend questioning;” “Defend expertise;” “Columbia fight back;” and “Hands off our teaching.”

One Jewish faculty member involved in the protest told Middle East Eye that the focus was on academic freedom rather than Palestine or anti-Semitism accusations to avoid creating “distractions.”

Students argued that by distorting the student movement and calling the police onto Columbia's campus, the university administration paved the way for Trump's crackdown on students and the restriction of academic freedom.

Around 50 to 60 faculty members quietly protested inside steel barricades at the entrance to Columbia University on March 24, opposing the university's decision to comply with Trump's demands.

These demands included reviewing and tightening protest rules and disciplinary measures, along with penalties for failing to address what the administration called “anti-Semitism” on campus. This led Trump to reinstate federal funding, withholding $400 million from the university.

Violation of Freedom

The Trump administration condemned Columbia University for “failing to protect Jewish students,” despite there being little evidence to support claims that campus protests, which included many Jewish students, posed a threat to Jewish life on campus.

Protests at Columbia University were vilified by the Biden administration, labeling them as “anti-Semitic,” a narrative that the Trump administration continued to amplify by deporting foreign students who participated in the demonstrations.

This was in direct contrast to the claims of the Jewish students who participated in the protests, denying any harm was done to them. Instead, they pointed to the university administration's targeting of Palestinian supporters, maligning their reputations, and subjecting them to surveillance, with backing from both the administration and the police.

Students across the U.S., as well as residents of Somerville, protested in response to the illegal abduction of Turkish student Ozturk, whose case drew widespread outrage and condemnation.

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Manhattan Faculty Union filed a lawsuit against Trump on March 25, 2025.

This was in response to his unprecedented and illegal actions to undermine the academic independence of universities and control the thought, associations, scholarships, and expression of faculty and students.

“Acquiescing to the demands of the Trump administration is unacceptable, intolerable. It's an infringement of academic freedom,” Michael Thaddeus, a professor of mathematics and one of the main organisers of the picket, told Middle East Eye.

“It strikes at the heart of our fundamental values, and we, as faculty, are going to stand up,” Thaddeus added.