Mahmoud Khalil among 400 students with visas revoked in US: Axios
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An Axios report reveals nearly 400 students had their visas revoked amid concerns over First Amendment rights, with some linked to pro-Palestinian protests.
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Police guard the entrance to Columbia University as protesters rally in support of detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, on March 14, 2025, in New York. (AP)
An Axios report revealed on Thursday that almost 400 students and recent graduates had their visas revoked by immigration officials during the same period Columbia alumnus Mahmoud Khalil was arrested, which raises concerns around the First Amendment and immigration rights.
According to the report, the Trump administration asserts that certain international students, such as Khalil, had their status revoked due to their involvement in pro-Palestine protests. In other cases, the revocation was linked to a criminal offense or traffic violation, while the reasons for some remain unclear.
On that note, Khalil's arrest on March 8 marked the first prominent incident following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement of the "Catch and Revoke" initiative, though it remains unclear when the State Department, along with the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, began enforcing the policy.
While the reasons for visa revocations and arrests differ, Axios reported that US officials have accused some students and recent graduates of supporting Hamas. However, neither Khalil nor others have been formally charged with any crimes.
Since the program began, the administration's attention on campus speech and policies has grown stronger, threatening schools' federal funding and contracts while placing university leaders and students at the heart of a contentious political debate.
US targeting immigrant students
An Axios review of data from universities and Insider Higher Ed found that nearly 400 students, graduates, and individuals associated with universities across more than 80 campuses nationwide have had their legal status altered.
This has left students who lost their legal status to remain in the US in an anxious limbo as the threat of detainment and deportation looms. But the number of students affected could be far greater, with the burden falling to universities to track changes and inform those impacted.
According to Axios' Steph Solis, a student from Emerson College and a doctoral candidate at Dartmouth College, neither of whom participated in protests or had a criminal record, recently had their visas revoked.
In several similar cases, universities were not notified by the administration but discovered the changes in students' legal status through audits of the online Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database, which monitors individuals on F, M, and J visas.
It's worth noting that if a student's SEVIS record is terminated, it signifies that they have lost their legal status in the US.
For instance, UMass Boston informed students and faculty via email that two current students and five other members of the university community had their visas revoked and non-immigrant statuses terminated, all without prior notice from federal authorities.
The message read that University officials "only became aware because of the Office of Global Programs' proactive vigilance and monitoring" of SEVIS.
When asked about the situation on campuses and the criteria for revoking visas, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday that "the department revokes visas every day to secure our borders and to keep our community safe," emphasizing that the criteria "is applied appropriately," but noted that the department is "not inclined to answer those specifics."
