• Tammy Bruce says countries must take their citizens back when US expels them
• Immigration authorities announce social media screening for visa seekers
• Environment of fear permeates campuses, many international students unsure of their fate
WASHINGTON: A growing wave of visa revocations, detentions, and deportations is sending shockwaves across US campuses, leaving foreign students — particularly those linked to pro-Palestinian activism — facing increasing uncertainty.
Days when Israeli military actions in Gaza sparked US-wide protests across American campuses are now a thing of the past. Today, universities face a new reality, where even minor infractions could lead to the cancellation of student visas.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late last month that he has stripped visas for some 300 people and was doing so on a daily basis.
In a recent briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce indicated that the gloves were off, saying: “[T]he department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we’ll continue to do so”.
When asked about the cancellation of visas of vulnerable people who had sought refuge in the US, such as citizens of civil war-torn South Sudan, the State Department spokesperson was even more blunt.
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. South Sudan’s Transitional Government has failed to fully respect this principle by not permitting the entry of an individual that they had confirmed and documented as a citizen.”
She maintained that her department would restrict the further issuance of visas to South Sudan citizens to prevent their entry into the US. “We will be prepared to review these actions when … South Sudan is in full cooperation,” she said.
On Wednesday, immigration authorities announced they will look at social media accounts and deny visas or residence permits to people who post content considered anti-Semitic by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The move follows the cancellation of visas for students, even though the the First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech.
Rubio had said that non-US citizens do not have the same rights as Americans and that it was at his discretion, not that of judges, to issue or deny visas.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind First Amendment to advocate for ‘anti-Semitic violence and terrorism’ — think again. You are not welcome here,” said department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services “will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting or supporting anti-Semitic terrorism, anti-Semitic terrorist organizations or other anti-Semitic activity as a negative factor” in determining benefits, the statement said.
