Student Visa Crackdowns, Deportations & New Immigration Tactics

Latest Updates on U.S. Immigration Every week we put together this newsletter to keep our readers informed.

Rubio says State Department has revoked more than 300 student visas

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, said the government has taken away over 300 student visas from people involved in pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses. This is part of a new push under Trump’s second presidency to crack down on what they consider radical or anti-American activity, especially anything seen as support for Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

Rubio says they’re continuing to search daily for more students to deport if they find similar activity. Critics argue this crackdown is being used to silence dissent and target freedom of speech on campus.

In short:

👉 The government is removing foreign students who protest in pro-Palestinian ways if they think it supports Hamas.

👉 Critics say it’s political and violates rights.

👉 The administration says it’s about national security and preventing extremism.

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The Trump administration removed 17 more people—10 Salvadorans and 7 Venezuelans

On March 30, the Trump administration sent 17 migrants (10 from El Salvador, 7 from Venezuela) to CECOT, a massive high-security prison in El Salvador. They were flown there from Guantánamo Bay, where they had been held on suspicion of criminal ties.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele claimed these people were dangerous criminals, including murderers and child rapists. Trump publicly thanked Bukele for taking them in.

But here’s where it gets controversial:

• The U.S. is not allowed to deport people under a specific law called the Alien Enemies Act right now because a court order temporarily blocked it on March 15.
• So the government says these deportations happened through normal immigration court procedures (i.e., they had final deportation orders).

However, federal courts are now reviewing whether the U.S. actually broke that court order by using the banned law anyway.

And to make things worse, at least one of the deported people (Kilmar Ábrego García) was sent by mistake—he didn’t have a criminal record. But the U.S. is not asking El Salvador to release him, even after admitting the error.

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OUR BLOG WITH TIPS

The Guardian view on the US immigration crackdown: what began with foreign nationals won’t end there

The Trump administration is cracking down hard on immigration — and it’s not just undocumented people anymore. Now, international students and legal immigrants are being arrested or deported, even without committing crimes.

• Trump promised mass deportations, and he’s delivering.
• Thousands of undocumented migrants have already been detained.
• The Supreme Court just approved deporting alleged gang members to Venezuela under an old 1798 law — the Alien Enemies Act.
• Even asylum seekers with tattoos are being labeled as criminals and removed.

But here’s what’s new and alarming. The crackdown is now targeting people who are here legally, like student activists.

• Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student at Columbia, was arrested without charges.
• Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish student at Tufts, was detained for co-writing an opinion piece.
• Hundreds of student visas have been revoked, even for small infractions.

What laws are they using?

• The Alien Enemies Act (meant for wartime enemies).
• A clause in the Immigration and Nationality Act that lets the government deport people it thinks are a “foreign policy problem.”
• The administration plans to fine people nearly $1,000 per day if they don’t leave — and charge them retroactively for up to five years.

If you have questions about your specific case, do not hesitate to contact us. 

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