Student Deportations: In a move that has sent shockwaves through the international student community, the US Department of State (DOS) has begun revoking F-1 visas, ordering hundreds of students to leave the country. The crackdown is reportedly targeting students involved in campus activism, including those who merely liked or shared social media posts deemed “anti-national.”
Student Deportations: International Students Targeted for Activism
According to reports, students from multiple countries, including India, have received emails instructing them to self-deport. The emails cite immigration violations due to engagement in activities beyond the scope of their student status. Immigration attorneys confirmed that some Indian students were affected simply for sharing social media posts.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, defended the decision by citing the case of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk, whose visa was revoked for activism. “We gave you a visa to come and study, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses,” Rubio stated during a press conference in Georgetown, Guyana.
The Scale of the Deportations
The US currently hosts 1.1 million international students, including 3.31 lakh Indian students, as per the latest Open Doors report. Rubio revealed that the crackdown has already led to over 300 revoked visas.
“Every day, we find more of these lunatics and take away their visas. Every country has the right to decide who stays and who goes,” Rubio remarked, indicating that the number of revocations could rise.
AI-Powered Surveillance and Screening
As part of this intensified student deportations, Rubio’s office launched an AI-powered app called “Catch and Revoke,” aimed at identifying and canceling visas of students suspected of supporting groups like Hamas or other designated organizations. The DOS is also scrutinizing new student visa applicants, meaning prospective students may face increased rejection rates.
The Self-Deportation Order and Its Consequences
The email sent to affected students informed them that their visas were revoked under Section 221(i) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. It also warned them of legal consequences for overstaying, including fines, detention, and deportation.
The email read:
“The Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office has alerted the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which manages the Student Exchange Visitor Program and is responsible for removal proceedings. They may notify your designated school official about the revocation of your F-1 visa.”
Additionally, students were advised to present their passports to the US embassy upon departure for physical cancellation of their visas. Those seeking re-entry into the US in the future will have to reapply and undergo reassessment.
‘Visa Not A Birthright,’ Says Rubio
Addressing concerns over the deportations, Rubio reiterated his stance in a televised interview, stating that a visa is not a birthright.
“I don’t know when we got this idea that a visa is some sort of birthright. It is not. If you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave,” he asserted on CBS News’s Face the Nation.
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