US State Department suspends 6,000 student visas
State Department – Rubio suspends more than 6,000 student visas due to assaults, thefts and support for terrorism
Students who have publicly participated in pro-Palestinian protests have faced stricter scrutiny.
Rubio cancels hundreds of student visas from 'crazy people' involved in anti-Israel protests
The hosts of "Fox & Friends" discuss the Trump administration's decision to revoke the visas of college students involved in anti-Israel protests.
The Trump administration has launched several initiatives to crack down on immigration and cancel the visas of those attending academic institutions in the US.
Those who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests have faced increased scrutiny; for example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of these students.
About 6,000 visas have been suspended primarily due to overstaying their visas or involvement in legal issues, including physical assault, driving under the influence (DUI), theft and support for terrorism, the State Department told Fox News Digital.
“Every student visa that has been revoked by the Trump Administration has been done because the individual has either violated the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the U.S.,” a senior State Department official said. “About 4,000 visas have been revoked because these visitors have violated the law while in our country, including assault and DUI cases.”
STATE DEPARTMENT TO INCREASE SOCIAL MEDIA SCREENING, VERIFICATION FOR STUDENT VISA APPLICANTS, WHILE INTERVIEWS ARE SUSPENDED
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration is reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests.
The students whose visas were revoked because of the attacks – about 800 – have either been arrested or faced assault charges, according to the State Department official.
Those whose visas were revoked for supporting terrorism - between 200 and 300 people - have been involved in activities such as fundraising for the militant group Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US State Department, the official said.
In total, the State Department told Fox News Digital that about 40,000 visas have been suspended in 2025, compared to 16,000 visas revoked during the same period under the Biden administration.
“Even if the previous administration did less, they were still revoking visas,” the State Department official said. “It’s not something that started on January 20th… This has been going on for years.”
Rubio told lawmakers in May that he estimated that "thousands" of student visas have been revoked since January.
“I don’t know the latest number, but we certainly have work to do,” Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on May 20. “We will continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education institutions.”
However, Democrats have opposed the Trump administration's efforts to revoke the visas, claiming it is a violation of due process.
“I think it’s a fundamental attack on liberty, because due process is the safeguard that prevents a government from taking away people’s lives or liberty, and liberty is what is taken away when a visa is revoked without due process,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, told Rubio on May 20.
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Senator Jeff Merkley called the State Department's visa suspension a "fundamental attack on freedom."
A student visa allows foreigners to study in the U.S. for a specified period of time at an academic institution. It differs from a “green card,” which allows an individual who is already in the U.S. but is not a U.S. citizen to remain in the country.
The crackdown on student visas is in line with several executive orders that President Donald Trump signed in January, aimed at protecting the US from foreign terrorists and other national security threats, as well as combating anti-Semitism.
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One of the executive orders asks the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence to “maximum vet and control all aliens intending to enter or already present in the United States, particularly those from regions or countries with identified security risks.”
Another executive order signed by Trump directs the US to use “all available and appropriate legal means to prosecute, deport or punish perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”
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