Colleges and universities of all types in America are under intense scrutiny. International students face an unprecedented increase in detentions and visa cancellations. Recent moves by the Trump administration have created confusion and fear for students. This is particularly concerning for anyone participating in pro-Palestinian protests or hostile to the U.S. foreign policy establishment. Columbia University graduate student protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil is one of those caught in the net. He was arrested at his home in New York and is currently awaiting deportation from a detention center in Louisiana.
The White House continues to be sharply opposed to anyone perceived as threatening or subverting U.S. national interests. So they are walking the walk and cracking down on these illegal activities. The administration continues to argue that visas are a “privilege” and therefore can be cancelled for any reason. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated that most of the people in their sights participated in protests. All of these protests demanded justice for Palestinians.
Yet Mahmoud Khalil’s case is representative of the climate of fear that has taken hold within the international student community. Now still an industry pioneer, the former lawmaker suddenly faces a David versus Goliath predicament as he walks through the legal jungle awaiting his turn on the roulette wheel.
In a similar case, in March this year, federal agents arrested Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow, in front of his Virginia home. In its lawsuit, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Suri used social media to incite antisemitism. They further alleged that he is associated with a recognized or identified terrorist. After Suri’s detention, a Georgetown University student who was friends with him expressed her concerns about safety. They admitted to suffering with “crippling anxiety” and now worry about retribution for saying such critical things in public.
In Massachusetts, Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was subjected to detention. She was recently arrested for co-authoring an op-ed calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Ozturk, just like his fellow detainee Khalil, is now locked away in Louisiana. This reality adds to the sense of vulnerability that international students engaged in political discourse face.
Mohsen Mahdawi, another Columbia student and protester, was arrested in Vermont while going to an interview to gain U.S. citizenship. His detention shines a light on the dangerous environment students continue to experience. They are fighting to achieve their academic dreams and not worrying about the consequences of their political activism on their lives.
This new reality has raised alarm among the millions of international students across the country. One master’s student at the University of Texas articulated their fears succinctly, stating, “I’m scared to be out. I’m scared to come to school. I’m scared to go grocery shopping.” This is the same mood expressed by so many who are feeling more and more unsafe with the world around them.
The implications of these detentions go beyond individual cases. Inside Higher Ed’s tracker has recently confirmed a disturbing trend. Over 1,000 international students and recent graduates have seen their visas revoked or changed to a different legal status as a result of heightened enforcement measures. The Trump administration has threatened to stop issuing visas for international students who want to enroll at Harvard. This move largely depends on the university’s willingness to cooperate with requests for information regarding the activities of some holders of the student visa.
One Georgetown student remarked on the changes they have made to protect their privacy: “I have cleared my chats across messaging apps, and I have learned how to quickly lock my phone in SOS mode.” This sort of behavior is emblematic of a new generation of students who are treading carefully as the political winds begin to change.
Nader Hashemi, an academic who studies the impacts of such policies on student communities, noted, “This is part of the trauma that I think students are facing.” These continued detentions and visa revocations send a message that student spaces are filled with people who make them feel unsafe and unwelcome.
Another student visa-holder at Georgetown described living in fear of being the next target. “I might be next,” they told us, describing the fearful atmosphere that had gripped their classmates.
As these incidents continue to unfold, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the administration’s actions during a recent statement: “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas.” His remarks reflect an extreme anti-immigrant agenda. This uncertainty has bubbled up into a general fear among international students of their continued safety and security in the U.S.