Hundreds of international students in the United States have been ordered to leave the country by the US Department of State via email. The students, who were studying in the US on a visa, were informed that their visas had been annulled and that they could be deported at any time. According to the Times of India, the reason for the decision was their alleged participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or sharing of unwanted social media posts.
The emails, part of a “catch and revoke” campaign initiated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aim to deport international students who support the Hamas or other militia groups. US President Donald Trump had also announced in January that the administration would find and deport all foreign nationals who participated in pro-Jihad protests.
Research by the Times of India suggests that hundreds of students have been ordered to leave the country in the past few days. The students were told that after the visa was issued, additional information became available, leading to the annulment of their visa. Those who fail to leave the country are threatened with fines, imprisonment and/or deportation.
A recent incident at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, involved the arrest of a Turkish doctoral student by US Homeland Security agents. The student was taken away after being surrounded by men in dark clothing, with some wearing hoodies, as seen in a surveillance camera video. The student, visibly distressed and shouting, was eventually taken away.
The most high-profile case so far is that of Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, a Green Card holder and a former student of Columbia University in New York. The Trump administration is seeking to deport him, accusing him of distributing flyers with the Hamas logo on the university campus, among other allegations.