The State Department has revoked at least 300 visas, mostly over pro-Palestinian protests, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as the United States cracks down on the activism of foreign-born residents.
“At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them,” he said Thursday during a press conference in Georgetown, Guyana. “But we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”
He couldn’t give an exact number saying it could be more than 300 visas revoked. He said they are revoking visas “every day”.
“Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he said.
In remarks later to the press while en route to Miami, Florida, Rubio clarified that the visas revoked are mostly student visas though some were visitor visas, too.
“If they’re taking [part in] activities that are counter to our national interest, to our foreign policy, we’ll revoke the visa.”
Many of those affected appear to have been involved in pro-Palestinian protests that took over university campuses nationwide amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Most notably, Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student married to an American citizen, whose detention by ICE earlier this month sparked protests where nearly 100 people were arrested.
Since returning to office January 20, Trump has led a campaign attacking both illegal and legal immigration. The pro-Palestinian protests have also been a target for Republicans and conservatives, and Trump has used his executive powers to enforce changes at universities under the threat of severing federal funding.
Rubio made the remarks in response to questions concerning Rumeysa Ozturk, a at Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University who was detained by ICE earlier this week. Unverified video of her detention has been widely circulated on social media, showing her confronted by plainclothes officers while walking down the street and then handcuffed and put into a van.
Her detention came after her name was one of several attached to an editorial published in her school’s newspaper last year calling for her institute to divest from Israel of its war in Gaza. (UPI)
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