The US Department of State has canceled the visas of over 6000 international students. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This decision was made due to students violating the country's laws and the expiration of their visas. According to official information, the offenses leading to visa cancellations include serious crimes such as assault, driving under the influence, theft, and supporting terrorism.
There is no clear information about what exactly is meant by the term “supporting terrorism.” During the previous administration, particularly under the Trump administration, students supporting Palestine were accused of antisemitism and targeted.
While nearly 4000 visas were canceled based on violations, another 200-300 were revoked under the “INA 3B” clause due to allegations related to terrorist activities. This clause considers actions that threaten human life or violate US laws as terrorism.
The Trump administration tightened the visa issuance process for international students. At the beginning of 2024, the issuance of student visas was temporarily suspended, and from June, applicants were required to make their social media profiles public.
This allows additional screening to identify signs of opposition to citizens, culture, government, or the fundamental principles of the US. In a statement to Congress in May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that thousands of visas had been canceled since January.
According to him, the government continues to deport students who come as guests and disrupt order in educational institutions. However, Democratic lawmakers criticize these measures, calling the Trump administration’s cancellation of international student visas an attack on due process.
