US immigration authorities have revoked the visas of nearly 400 students and recent graduates in recent weeks, as part of a "catch and revoke" campaign announced by US officials.
These moves, which have raised concerns about students' First Amendment and immigration rights, follow the March 8 arrest of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, the first high-profile case attributed to the crackdown.
The Trump administration claimed that some international students, like Khalil, lost their residency status for their affiliation with pro-Palestinian protests. Others had their visas revoked for traffic violations, crimes, or undisclosed reasons.
While the reasons for the visa revocations and arrests vary, and US officials have accused some students and recent university graduates of supporting Hamas—a US-designated terrorist group—Khalil and others have not yet been charged.
Since the program's launch, the administration has increasingly focused on campus rhetoric and policies, putting federal funds and contracts for universities at risk of being terminated and placing university administration and students at the center of heated political conflicts.
Late last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that more than 300 student visas had been revoked.
According to an Axios review of university data, the cancellations affected students and individuals from more than 80 campuses, leaving those affected at risk of deportation. Many universities were not officially notified of these measures but discovered them through a review of the Student and Visitor Information System database, which tracks international student visas.
In cases such as the University of Massachusetts Boston, two students and five individuals had their visas revoked without prior notice, according to an email from the university. There were also reports of students, including a doctoral candidate at Dartmouth and a student at Emerson, losing their visas despite not having participated in protests or a criminal record.
It should be noted that the actual number of affected students may be higher, as universities rely on their own efforts to track changes in student conditions.
For her part, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that cancellations occur "daily to secure our borders," stressing that the criteria are "applied appropriately," but declined to disclose further details.