Trump's pro-Palestine purge may bar foreign students: Axios
4 Min Read
Student visa holders provide a valuable cash stream for institutions that the executive branch may cut off.
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Student protesters gather inside their encampment on the Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024. (AP)
Senior US Justice and State Department officials told Axios that the Trump administration is considering preventing institutions from accepting foreign students if they are deemed "pro-Hamas," as part of its broader crackdown on immigration and alleged antisemitism, with over 300 student visas already canceled under the "Catch and Revoke" campaign targeting those who protested the Gaza war.
At the center of the proposal is the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which approves institutions to accept student visa holders. Institutions have previously been decertified if the government decides they have an excessive number of student visa holders utilizing the education system as a cover to live and work in the US, according to authorities.
The Trump administration now threatens to apply that decertification framework to the post-Oct. 7 demonstrations. "Every institution that has foreign students ... will go through some sort of review," one official stated.
Columbia University and UCLA, both of which hosted major pro-Palestinian rallies last year, are frequently mentioned by administration officials, while critics argue that the government's actions violate free speech and due process rights.
FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) legal director Will Creeley further told Axios, this "viewpoint-driven decision-making is ripe for abuse and risks arbitrary enforcement."
Student visa holders provide a valuable cash stream for institutions that the executive branch may cut off.
"That's one of their biggest cash cows, foreign students. That's a meaningful source of revenue for them," according to a senior Justice Department official.
One official noted, "What you're going to see in the not-too-distant future is the universities that we can show that were not doing anything to stop these demonstrations in support of Hamas — or encouraged enrollment by activist — ... we can stop approving student visas for them, and they can no longer admit foreign students."
The Trump administration's assault on universities with considerable pro-Palestine, or anti-"Israel," sentiment extends across both coasts.
To avoid losing $400 million in school government funding, Columbia succumbed last week to administration requests to combat antisemitism and curtail demonstrations.
The DOJ official predicted further enforcement measures detailing a "very broad subpoena" that would cover "any information that they know about students who have actively participated in violent protests."
Trump has long expressed disdain for elite universities and is now aggressively asserting federal control. The government has rarely used its authority to cut funding, but a Trump administration letter sent last week to 60 colleges warned they could lose financial support if they fail to improve campus safety for Jewish students.
Columbia protester sues Trump admin over deportation attempt
A Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests is suing US President Donald Trump’s administration for attempting to deport her.
Attorneys for Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old who has lived legally in the US since childhood, filed a lawsuit on Monday, calling the government’s actions a “shocking overreach” and an “unprecedented and unjustifiable assault” on her rights.
Chung has been involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus since 2023 and was arrested earlier this month while protesting what she described as the university’s “excessive punishments” of student activists, according to the lawsuit, first reported by The New York Times.
Days after her arrest, the suit states, immigration officials attempted to detain and remove Chung from the country. Her lawyer was reportedly informed that her permanent resident status was being “revoked".
The lawsuit comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on immigrants involved in pro-Palestinian protests by revoking their legal status and pursuing deportation.
Earlier this month, immigration authorities arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in the Columbia protests, stating they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card. Khalil remains in custody in Louisiana. His arrest has sparked fear among international students at Columbia, who worry their visas could also be revoked.
Chung’s lawsuit names Trump, Senator Marco Rubio—who, according to the complaint, ordered Chung’s legal status revoked—South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and other officials. Both Trump and Rubio have publicly supported revoking the visas of international students participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations. During a press conference regarding Khalil, Rubio stated that the government would “kick out” green card holders involved in such protests.
