‘Violation of law’: US State Department revokes 6,000 international student visas

The State Department told the BBC that out of these 6,000 visa, about 4,000 of them were revoked because visitors broke the law, including cases of assault, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, among others

Another 200-300 visas were revoked for “terrorism done under INA 3B”, the State Department said, referring to code that defines “terrorist activity” broadly as acts that endanger human life or violate US law, BBC quoted.

Since retaking office this year, Donald Trump has made consistent efforts to revamp higher education in the US, targeting the country’s top universities and implementing a series of policy changes that have adversely affected international students.

Firstly, the US President signed an executive order in January to combat “antisemitism”, where he pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Further in June, the Trump administration paused scheduling new interviews for international student visas, following which it required all foreign students applying to study in the US to undergo “social media vetting“. As part of the vetting, consular officers are expected to look at posts, likes, comments and shares on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X, to check for any signs of content they see as a national security threat.

He also slashed university research fundings, arrested and detained many international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. It even got into a legal battle with Harvard University after blocking it from enrolling international students. The university had accused the White House of unconstitutional retaliation for defying its political demands.

More than one million international students were studying in the US in the past year, contributing nearly $43.8 billion to the US economy, according to the NAFSA association. The foreign students contribute roughly to 6 per cent of the student population.

The revocation comes just days before the new academic year begins, seemingly raising concerns that many students may not be able to reach the US in time.