By our Reporter
The US State Department says it has revoked more than 6,000 student visas since Secretary of State Marco Rubio assumed office seven months ago.
According to officials, the majority of the cancellations were linked to legal violations such as assault, DUI, burglary, overstays, and alleged support for terrorism. About 4,000 of the cases were specifically tied to breaches of US law.
The department did not disclose the nationalities of those affected, but Rubio has repeatedly signaled a tougher stance on students from China. He has also targeted student activists critical of Israel, accusing them of anti-Semitism, a charge they reject.
Rubio previously told reporters that he was revoking visas “daily,” vowing to act against what he described as “lunatics” opposed to US foreign policy interests
The administration has faced pushback in some cases. A judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent US resident who led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, and Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, detained after publishing a piece critical of Israel, was also freed by court order.
Rubio maintains that the government has the authority to revoke visas without judicial oversight, insisting that foreign nationals are not entitled to US constitutional protections such as free speech.
