In a sweeping national enforcement effort, the U.S. government has revoked the visas of over 300 international students connected to pro-Hamas activity and violent extremist protests on college campuses. The move, authorized by the Trump administration, marks a decisive crackdown on foreign nationals who have used their academic visas to promote terrorism and destabilize university environments.
Students at elite institutions—including Harvard, Columbia, Fordham, Tufts, and UMass Amherst—are among those affected. In many cases, universities were only made aware of the visa revocations after running their own database checks, as federal agencies proceeded without prior notification.
Columbia University confirmed that four students had their visas terminated after being linked to radical protest activity. One student, Mahmoud Khalil, a known leader in the 2024 Gaza Solidarity Encampment, was arrested by ICE in March and remains in a Louisiana detention center. He faces deportation for what DHS described as “supporting activities aligned with Hamas.”
Fordham University also revealed the visa cancellation of one undergraduate involved in extremist protest actions. The university acknowledged that this incident was part of a “growing trend” of revocations tied to student activity deemed hostile to U.S. national interests.
At Harvard, three students and two recent graduates had their visas revoked. Though the university declined to name them, internal records suggest involvement in organizing or promoting violent protests and ties to radical anti-Jewish networks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has taken the lead on enforcement, defended the sweeping measures:
“We gave you a visa to come and study—not to support Hamas, not to glorify terrorism, not to shut down our campuses. If you engage in that behavior, your visa will be revoked. That’s not censorship—it’s law enforcement.”
The visa cancellations are not limited to students. In multiple cases, green cards and legal residency statuses were revoked. Columbia Ph.D. candidate Ranjani Srinivasan, for example, was accused by DHS of supporting Hamas-affiliated rhetoric and was forced to leave the country. She claimed to be the victim of a “political witch hunt,” but federal records describe her involvement in activities violating the terms of her visa.
Another Fulbright scholar and Tufts Ph.D. student, Rumeysa Ozturk, was arrested in Somerville after writing and promoting pro-Hamas content online. DHS confirmed she is being held for deportation proceedings.
The policy reflects a broader federal stance that visas are a privilege—not a shield for political extremism.
Universities, while voicing concern over the suddenness of federal actions, have largely acknowledged the seriousness of the charges. Columbia, Harvard, and others are cooperating with legal authorities while offering limited support to impacted students.
The revocations mark a turning point in how the U.S. addresses foreign interference and campus radicalism. With thousands of international students still active in ongoing protests—some praising terror attacks, others calling for violent resistance—federal officials have made clear: supporting terrorism on a student visa has consequences.