Over 800 student visas revoked in US: report

By Minh Nga April 11, 2025 | 03:02 pm PT

Students walk on the Stanford University campus, March 14, 2019. Photo by AP

More than 800 international students and recent graduates in the U.S. have reportedly had their visas revoked or their immigration status changed by the State Department, according to data collected nationwide.

Those affected include individuals involved in protests against the war in Gaza, as well as others penalized for minor infractions, according to industry news site Inside Higher Ed which compiled information from over 150 colleges and universities for the number of students who lost their F-1 or J-1 visas as of April 11.

Many university officials say they are unsure of the reasons behind these visa revocations, and most impacted students have not received formal notification from immigration authorities.

The dataset, drawn from public records and direct communications, was first published on April 8, with Inside Higher Ed planning regular updates.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on March 27 that more than 300 visas had been canceled as part of an intensified crackdown on anti-Israel activism on American campuses. Speaking in Guyana, Rubio said: "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas," as reported by Reuters.

The State Department's "Catch and Revoke" initiative, which began last month, utilizes AI technology to monitor social media for foreign nationals allegedly supporting Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.

U.S. news site Axios reported that visas were then invalidated as a result.

Visa cancellations have not been confined to students engaged in pro-Palestinian activism. Individuals with minor infractions, such as traffic violations, have also been targeted.

The Guardian noted an online database created by affected students, which by April 4 had documented visa cancellations at 50 universities, some of them linked to non-criminal offenses.

At the University of Florida, students recently held a protest in support of Felipe Zapata Velázquez, a 27-year-old Colombian student deported after being arrested for traffic-related violations.

His family said he is recovering in Colombia after his March 28 arrest for an expired vehicle tag and a suspended license, which led to his handover to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The Guardian.

Other prominent cases include Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University detained after publishing an op-ed critical of Israel. Both are currently in ICE custody and are contesting their deportation on the grounds that their actions are protected under the First Amendment.