US College Protest Impact: Protests took place in US colleges over the Israel-Hamas war. Students protested against Israel for its actions against Palestinians. Now President Donald Trump’s government is identifying protesting students and cancelling their student visas. Indian students are also affected by this.
US Foreign Students Deportation: Hundreds of foreign students studying in America have been asked to leave the country. The US State Department (DOS) has sent an email to the students, asking them to leave the country. The students are accused of participating in protests and movements on college campuses. Immigration lawyers said that some Indian students have also been asked to leave the country. Visas of many students have been cancelled because they shared or liked some posts on social media.
According to a TOI report, immigration lawyers said that apart from students participating in protests in college, students doing online activities are also on the government’s target. DOS, including the consular office, is keeping a close watch on social media. Because of this, students who are applying for new visas (F, M, or J visas) to study in the US are also being investigated. If anything wrong is found on their social media handles, they are being denied visas.
Why did the protests take place in colleges?
Actually, Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, after which the Israeli army retaliated by bombing the Gaza Strip. Gaza is the base of the extremist organization Hamas. Thousands of Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks, due to which protests were held against the Israeli army in US colleges. Local and foreign students participated in it. During this time, it was also claimed that anti-Semitic sentiments were also increasing in the colleges. Now the protesting students are being identified and their visas are being cancelled.
How are the protesting students being identified?
According to the Open Doors report, in the academic year 2023-24, more than 11 lakh foreign students were studying in the US, out of which 3.31 lakh were Indians. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio has launched a program called ‘Catch and Revoke’, which operates with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Under this program, visas of those who support terrorist organizations like Hamas are being canceled. In just three weeks, visas of more than 300 students have been canceled under this program.
What does the email say?
The email sent to the students said, “The Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office on behalf of the US Department of State informs you that some new information has been received after your visa was issued. Therefore, your F-1 visa has been canceled in accordance with section 221 (i) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. The Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office has also informed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which handles the Student Exchange and Visitor Program and is responsible for deportation proceedings.”
It further states, “They will notify your college official about the cancellation of your F-1 visa. If you remain in the United States without legal permission, you may be fined, jailed, and/or deported. This may also make it difficult for you to get a US visa in the future. People who are being deported may be deported to a country other than their home country. Therefore, people whose visas have been cancelled should use the CBP Home App to show that they want to leave the United States.”
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