Washington, August 19 (HS): The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked more than 6,000 student visas. Officials stated that most of these cases involved violations of immigration law or overstaying the permitted duration of stay, while approximately 200–300 were linked to suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities.
According to a senior State Department official, around 4,000 visas were canceled due to criminal offenses, the majority related to violent assaults. Other recorded violations included driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as theft and related crimes.
This move comes at a time when the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of student visa applications. The government has expanded background checks to include rigorous social media reviews, deeper security screenings, and has instructed U.S. embassies to exercise heightened caution with politically active applicants.
The department further clarified that visa cancellations tied to terrorism are grounded in legal provisions that render individuals ineligible if they are found to be engaged in “terrorist activities” or maintain affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Meanwhile, President Trump has accused several leading U.S. universities of harboring rising antisemitism and encouraging demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights. His standoff with Harvard University has been particularly contentious, with threats to withdraw federal research funding and revoke longstanding tax exemptions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that visa cancellations were not limited to students but extended to hundreds of thousands of other individuals found to be involved in activities contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests.
The decision has sparked criticism from civil rights groups, academics, and legal experts, who argue that such measures amount to an assault on free expression, protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
