The U.S. State Department has canceled over 6,000 student visas after the holders were found to either violate the law or show support for terrorism, according to department officials.
In a statement, senior officials elaborated on the circumstances leading to these cancellations, which were reported on Sunday.
“All student visas that were revoked during the Trump administration involved individuals who either broke the law or expressed support for terrorism in the U.S. Approximately 4,000 visas were revoked due to illegal activities during their stay, which included incidents of assault and DUI,” the official noted.
The Trump administration has now enforced strict measures regarding immigration and the revocation of visas for students attending schools throughout the country, with some of those affected linked to anti-Israel protests.
According to a report, “between 200 and 300 individuals who had their visas revoked were engaged in activities supporting terrorist acts, such as fundraising for the militant group Hamas.”
“The student visa crackdown, initiated through various executive orders in January, is focused on combating anti-Semitism and safeguarding the U.S. from foreign threats and terrorist activity,” the report continued.
In April, lawsuits were filed against Trump over the revocation of numerous foreign student visas, as per reports.
The State Department indicated to Fox that visa cancellations are not new, as the Biden administration has also revoked some visas.
Reports from late April indicated that within 100 days of Trump’s second term, 4,000 foreign student visas had been revoked, with about 90% of those individuals having criminal records.
In June, Trump denied F-1 education visas to foreign students seeking to attend Harvard.
One report mentioned that M and F visas are utilized by over 400,000 immigrants annually to acquire work permits through both practical training and optional practical training programs, which may necessitate white-collar H-1B visas in the U.S.
