‘These Lunatics’: Rubio Says the Trump Administration Has Revoked at Least 300 Student Visas

Secretary of State Rubio says the Trump administration has revoked at least 300 student visas of “lunatics” accused of engaging in antisemitic harassment or violence. Speaking to reporters during his trip to Guyana, Mr. Rubio said it is “stupid for any country in the world to welcome people into their country that are going to go to your universities… and say, ‘I’m going to your universities to start a riot. I’m going to your universities to take over your libraries and harass people.’”“I don’t care what movement you’re involved in. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he added.He also said the number of visas that have been revoked could be higher than 300. “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them,” he said. Mr. Rubio’s comment comes as the Trump administration has sought to crack down on students who engage in antisemitic violence or harassment. In January, President Trump signed an executive order giving the government the authority to revoke visas of students who are “Hamas sympathizers” and those who participate in “pro-jihadist protests.”Mr. Rubio’s comments on Thursday come after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained a Tufts University student from Turkey, Rumeysa Ozturk, and revoked her visa. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Ms. Ozturk had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.”Ms. Ozturk’s legal team told Fox News that they were not aware of any charges filed against their client. Additionally, they said she had not been disciplined for participating in anti-Israel protests but did not say if she had been involved in such demonstrations. The administration has also revoked the visa of a Cornell University student from the United Kingdom, Momodou Taal, for his participation in “disruptive protests” and allegedly creating a “hostile” environment for Jewish students on campus.Mr. Taal almost had his student visa revoked in the fall over his allegedly “egregious” conduct during an anti-Israel protest. However, as his case drew national attention, Cornell decided against yanking his visa, and he was allowed to remain enrolled in the school.Earlier this month, Mr. Taal, another student, and a professor sued Mr. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to block the enforcement of two of the president’s executive orders that paved the way for the administration to revoke student visas. On Thursday, Mr. Taal suffered twin defeats as a federal district court judge, Elizabeth Coombe, declined to block the enforcement of the executive orders.Judge Coombe also declined to block his deportation as she said he did not provide evidence that she had jurisdiction to stop his immigration proceedings, which are handled by immigration courts.

‘These Lunatics’: Rubio Says the Trump Administration Has Revoked at Least 300 Student Visas

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