Not every United States visa revocation makes headlines news and ignites a political firestorm. Feature the case of Jean Leonard Teganya, who was a medical student in Rwanda and obtained asylum in the United States in the wake of the 1994 genocide. 

Twenty-five years later, Mr. Teganya was convicted of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury, having lied about his key role in the slaying of ethnic Tutsis. Earlier this year, Mr. Teganya, 47, was sentenced to eight years behind bars, followed by removal proceedings. 

Similarly, a Bosnian Serb officer accused of war crimes, Ilija Josipovic, falsely claimed to have no military background when he resettled in Ohio in 2003. It took investigators 12 years to uncover his deception, leading to his deportation. Even Nazi war criminals took advantage of loopholes — former SS guard Jakiw Palij trained Nazi operatives before living undetected in New York for decades until he was deported in 2018. 

The exploitation of the visa system is not a relic of the past; in 2015, Tashfeen Malik, one of the San Bernardino attackers, entered on a fiancé visa before carrying out a deadly massacre, while 18 of the 19 terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks arrived on tourist or business visas.

Marco Rubio underscored earlier last month that holding a United States visa is a privilege, not a “birthright.” He affirmed that those who threaten national security or break the law will face removal. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed this stance, stating that individuals granted visas to live and study in the U.S. must uphold its values, emphasizing that “when you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”

Academia in the Spotlight 

The issue of visas has been thrust back into the media limelight in recent weeks with a string of high-profile detainments and nullifications in the realm of academia. Lebanese kidney transplant specialist Dr. Rasha Alawieh was deported earlier this month, despite holding a valid United States visa, after Homeland Security officials stated she had admitted to supporting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and attending his funeral. 

The removal of Ms. Alawieh, who previously worked at Brown University and held fellowships at multiple elite institutions, proceeded despite a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking her deportation, raising questions about due process and the government’s handling of national security concerns.

This case comes on the heels of the detainment of the Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This legal United States resident entered the country on a student visa and married an American. Mr. Khalil, who was born in a Syrian refugee camp, attracted the attention of authorities over his leadership of anti-American, pro-Palestinian demonstrations accused of intimidating and threatening Jewish students across the Manhattan campus. 

“This isn’t about silencing his views,” said a tech entrepreneur, an and a longtime board member and alumnus of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, where Mr. Khalil studied. “Free speech doesn’t include advocating violence. He has publicly called for the ‘total eradication of Western civilization.’ That’s advocating the destruction of the U.S.”

The Trump administration has not filed any criminal charges against Mr. Khalil and is instead utilizing a legal provision that grants the secretary of state the authority to deport a green-card holder if their presence is deemed, on “reasonable grounds,” to pose a “potentially serious adverse foreign policy” risk. Mr. Khalil is now fighting deportation in federal court.

In a separate case, a 21-year-old Columbia University student who has lived in the United States since childhood filed a lawsuit this week against former President Trump and other officials after an attempted deportation. The administration argues that the student, Yunseo Chung, a legal permanent resident who took part in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, contributed to the spread of antisemitism.

A federal judge recently halted the deportation of an Indian national and Georgetown scholar accused of spreading Hamas propaganda, Badar Khan Suri. He was detained by the Trump administration and accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.”

The decision adds to the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policy and what happens next. An alumnus and board member of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where Mr. Khalil attended, Harley Lippman believes universities nationwide are “failing to enforce the law.”

“The U.S. has a legal obligation to revoke visas based on national security concerns. That’s not political — it’s just the law,” he said. “The law clearly states that if you are a foreign student on a visa and you support a terrorist organization, your visa or green card can be denied. That is entirely legal. This is different from the rights of an American citizen — it’s not a violation of free speech.”

While these cases in the higher education system have made headlines, visa refusals and terminations on national security grounds are hardly unprecedented. “We don’t necessarily need additional screening for foreign nationals in academia, either student or faculty. We need effective screening for all foreign nationals seeking entry to the United States,” former press secretary of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Ira Mehlman, tells the Sun. 

“It is important to emphasize that the purpose of receiving a student visa is just that: to study in the U.S. Engaging in behavior that disrupts the ability of other people to pursue their educations; targeting other students for harassment or exclusion based on their religion or political views; taking over or vandalizing university facilities; distributing propaganda literature on behalf of recognized terrorist organizations, are not consistent with the intent of the student visa program.”

According to the CATO Institute, American officials between 2000 and 2015 denied visas to 6,329 individuals over terrorism concerns, with 99.5 percent rejected for direct involvement in terrorist activities. Common reasons for American visa denials include failure to demonstrate strong ties to the home country, incomplete applications, misrepresentation or fraud, and unlawful presence.

In 2021, during the first year of the Biden administration, the Department of State granted around 2.8 million visas. This marked a significant drop from the 9.7 million issued in the first Trump term in 2017. In 2023, the Department of State received nearly 14 million visa applications, issued over 10.4 million visas, and denied approximately 2.48 million

The United States possesses the sovereign authority to grant or deny visa applications at its discretion. While applicants may inquire about the reasons for a visa rejection, the government is not obligated to provide detailed explanations. 

Comprehensive statistics on the number of United States visas revoked annually are not readily available. Following the signing of Executive Order 13769 in 2017, commonly known as the “travel ban,” around 60,000 visas were revoked due to the order’s restrictions on travelers from certain countries.

The Vetting Process

The Visa Waiver Program still includes over 40 countries, allowing their citizens to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without needing a visa. Travelers from these countries must obtain authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which is an online application that screens applicants for security risks. Once approved, this authorization is typically valid for two years or until the traveler’s passport expires.

A visa is required to enter the United States for individuals from countries not part of the Visa Waiver Program. This process involves completing an online visa application form, paying the required fee, and scheduling an in-person interview at a United States embassy or consulate in their home country. 

“The intent of these screening processes is to determine if there are any risks — national security or otherwise — associated with allowing the individual to enter the country,” Mr. Mehlman said.

The Trump team, however, is clamping down. The administration has expanded its immigration crackdown beyond illegal crossings to include legal immigrants, tightening scrutiny on employment and student visas while emphasizing that visa holders must strictly comply with United States laws. 

New enforcement tools aim to accelerate removals and discourage overstays, reinforcing a zero-tolerance approach. Mr. Rubio has launched an artificial intelligence-driven “Catch and Revoke” initiative to cancel visas of foreign nationals, including professors and students alike, suspected of supporting Hamas or other designated terror groups. 

This effort includes artificial intelligence-assisted reviews of thousands of student visa holders’ social media posts, particularly looking for pro-Hamas sentiments following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Officials are also reviewing arrests, anti-Israel demonstrations, and lawsuits involving antisemitic activity. 

The State Department, in coordination with Justice and Homeland Security, is using broad government authority to revoke visas under the Immigration Nationality Act, a move President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio have publicly supported as part of a broader crackdown on foreign nationals deemed security threats.

Federal courts have rallied against some measures, blocking restrictions on asylum and limiting visa cancelations. Yet the administration appears committed to reducing immigration, increasing compliance checks, and reshaping the United States immigration system.

In the future

Despite some political outcry and pushback to the Trump administration’s iron-fisted immigration approach, closer visa examination is not likely to dim. Earlier this month, Congressman Nick Langworthy of New York reintroduced the Veto Your Visas Act to revoke student visas of those who support foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas. The bill requires universities to report students engaged in such activities, mandates visa repeal by the Secretary of State, and directs Homeland Security to begin removal proceedings upon revocation.

“It is a privilege to come to the United States to study and learn,” he stated. “It is not a free pass to come here and spread hate and support terrorism.”