Thread: Foreign Students are Detained and Visas Revoked US colleges

For the last few weeks, many foreign students living in the US have watched as a sequence of events has repeated itself on their social media feeds: plain-clothes agents appearing unannounced and hauling students off in unmarked cars to detention centres.

Those taken into custody in a string of high-profile student detentions captured on video have not faced any criminal charges and instead appear to have been targeted for involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.

The Trump administration has said repeatedly that visas are a "privilege" and can be revoked at any time for a wide variety of reasons.

But the crackdown appears to be far wider than initially thought, with more than 1,000 international students or recent graduates at colleges across the US now having had their visas revoked or legal statuses changed, according to a tracker from Inside Higher Ed, an online news site covering the sector.

For many, the precise reasons are unknown, and universities have often only learned of the changes when checking a government-run database that logs the visa status of international students.

The combination of targeted detentions and reports of wide-scale visa revocations have left campuses on edge, from the biggest public universities to elite Ivy League institutions, students and faculty told the BBC.

"I could be next," said one student visa-holder attending Georgetown University, who has written articles about Israel and the war in Gaza.

He's begun carrying around a card in his pocket that lists his constitutional rights, in case he is ever stopped by law enforcement.

Another student in Texas said he's afraid to leave his apartment, even to buy groceries.

And at some colleges, departments are being hit as researchers abroad refuse to return to the US.

Most students the BBC spoke to requested anonymity out of fear that having their names in the media could make them a target.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Education for comment.

Anxiety on US college campuses as foreign students deported


As I see it, there is a league table of people residing in the US, or any western nation.

1. Citizens
2. Permanent residents
3. Visitors
4. Illegal immigrants

Each of these groups needs to conduct themselves appropriately for their category and the degree of legal recourse available when they run into trouble should be defined for each group accordingly.

Students are temporary visitors and should be on their best behaviour as with any visitor anywhere. Political demonstrations are borderline unsuitable activities for visitors, as I see it.

Looper I am not quite sure what you are up to with all the Trump love. But you should know a large proportion of Americans are scared of this guy and his threat to democracy. You are going to see peaceful demonstrations for the next 2.5 years leading up to the mid term elections. I would like you to read this by a former Harvard law student reacting to Trump trying to cut their funding.

Maybe it will help take the blinkers off.

Now you’ve done it. You’ve kicked the hornet’s nest in Harvard Yard, poked the somber portraits of Adams, Roosevelt, and Kennedy straight in the eye. This isn’t just a breach of decorum—it’s a declaration of war on the ghostly congregation of the Dead Presidents Club, that hallowed fraternity of law-bound ghosts who wrote the damn rule-book on American governance.
And here come the grave robbers—Donald Trump, that bleached blowhard of borrowed bravado, with his pocket fascists Steven “Ghoul School” Miller and Pam “Mouth of the South” Bondi. They strut like vaudeville villains in a Bannon-funded soap opera, thinking they can bulldoze legal tradition with a stolen gavel and a Walmart Bible. Pseudo-Christian Nazi nationalists in ill-fitting suits trying to bend a 390-year arc of justice into a Trump-brand paperclip.
But this isn’t a barroom brawl in Boca. This is Harvard Law. And Harvard doesn’t forget.
Harvard produces assassins in Armani. Its alumni don’t shout; they file. And when they file, they file deep—thousands of pro bono legal warriors with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Judges, clerks, scholars, shadow-dwelling appellate tacticians who see the Constitution not as an accessory but as scripture. They're the kind of people who cite footnotes like they’re firing bullets.
These are the quiet ones. The ones who show up at 7 a.m. with briefs in hand and no intention of letting go until the shackles are tight and the sentence has echo.
Trump and his cronies—these hall-of-shame populists—mistake noise for power. But real power doesn’t yell. It litigates. It outlasts. It waits in chambers, in rows of mahogany and leather, until the storm collapses from the weight of its own fraudulence.
Harvard won’t blink. Harvard won’t back down. And Harvard sure as hell won’t bow to three grifters with God complexes and delusions of tyranny. There's a reason “Veritas” is carved in stone. Because truth—real truth—doesn’t need a campaign rally or a gold-plated toilet. It needs a courtroom, a file number, and a judge who knows better.
So go ahead, grave diggers. Keep pushing. The noose isn’t made of rope—it’s made of precedent. And it’s tightening.

Originally Posted by Looper

Students are temporary visitors and should be on their best behaviour as with any visitor anywhere. Political demonstrations are borderline unsuitable activities for visitors, as I see it.

As I see it, one of the human rights is freedom of speech. In theory, what's the difference between me supporting the Palestinians and someone here on a visa?

Originally Posted by Topper

what's the difference between me supporting the Palestinians and someone here on a visa?

In a normal world, there would be no difference. Unfortunately, we all currently reside in Bizarro World, ruled by Orange Julius Caesar, and his moronic MAGA minions.

If foreign students, white students, enrolled at usa universities organised and took part in anti black demonstrations, waving banners proclaiming "blacks out" as black students walked to their lectures, dont you think both the government would seek to remove those instigators.

Originally Posted by aging one

I would like you to read this by a former Harvard law student reacting to Trump trying to cut their funding.

It is difficult to respond to this as I am not sure what point the student is trying to make.

Trump seems to be trying to rein in the intimidation of Jewish students by the semi-permanent encampment demonstrations that have gone unchecked at these ivy-league universities over the past year and a half. The lack of response by these universities to the welfare of Jewish students is an affront to Western values.

If black students had been intimidated the way the Jewish students have been then the protestors dishing out the intimidation would have been strung up.

Originally Posted by Topper

what's the difference between me supporting the Palestinians and someone here on a visa?

The way I see it, you are a US citizen with the moral right to demonstrate political issues on US soil. Visitors are not in that class. They are visitors who, I think, should reserve their behaviour more carefully. I think that is true of any temporary foreign visitor anywhere. I personally would not engage in political demonstration while visiting another country as I don't think it is appropriate as a guest there.

Trying to affect the political direction a country or government takes is the business of its citizens, not its guests. It is similar to election interference. Most people think election interference by foreign parties is wrong. I think the same principle extends to political demonstration by foreign visitors.

Originally Posted by Laura Loomer

The way I see it, you are a US citizen with the moral right to demonstrate political issues on US soil. Visitors are not in that class. They are visitors who, I think, should reserve their behaviour more carefully

In yesterday’s lesson, we covered the 5th and 14th amendments, which deal with the right to due process. Sadly, you failed that test, miserably. Today’s lesson covers the 1st amendment, the right to free speech. it appears you’re well on your way to another fucking F.

Originally Posted by BLD

Not sure what you are on about tax . Yes there is a certain racist element in the US re blacks always has been . But what seems to be going on under the orange monkey is the removal of free speech. Student activists are an easy target for Trump and his goons

Read Loopers post and it may become clear to you.

Its nothingvto do with free speech.

Another issue which this news touches on is the enormous funding that the ivy league universities have received from Arab nations, such as Qatar in recent years.

Qatari involvement in higher education in the United States - Wikipedia

According to the report, the institutions did not disclose these donations as required by law

The universities are accused of allowing antisemitism to thrive due to the funding, which, at $4.7B from Qatar alone, far outweighs the funding being threatened with withdrawal by the federal government.

The campus occupation protests have prevented Jewish students from attending classes and entering buildings.

Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus protests and occupations during the Gaza war - Wikipedia

I think the universities should start cooperating with federal agencies trying to sort this mess out. If they did so then their federal funding would be secure.

This all looks like thinly disguised anti-intellectualism.

Doubtless Israelis have encountered some hostility from arab students.

20,000 dead Palestinian kids can result in that.

But Looper, you seem to suggest that $4.7 billion in funding from Qatar is in itself somehow antisemitic.

That is ridiculous.

I see no evidence whatsoever that antisemitism is in any way aided and abetted by the universities themselves.

Originally Posted by taxexile

If foreign students, white students, enrolled at usa universities organised and took part in anti black demonstrations, waving banners proclaiming "blacks out" as black students walked to their lectures, dont you think both the government would seek to remove those instigators.

That is a patently absurd comparison.

It's so daft that your ability to construct a sentence seems to crumble after it.

I mean...

ok, "both the government and the university authorities" then



cyrille

That is a patently absurd comparison.

kindly give the reasons that led you to that conclusion.

So, no freedom of speech then.

Originally Posted by cyrille

But Looper, you seem to suggest that $4.7 billion in funding from Qatar is in itself somehow antisemitic.

That is ridiculous.

It is no secret that the Arab nations surrounding Israel are the cultural epicentre of global antisemitism.

It does not seem like a long bow to draw, to make a connection between the eye-watering donations from these Arab nations to the ivy-league and the ivy-league's reticence in moderating the violent campus occupation protests.

These anti-Semitic/anti-Israeli protests started on October 7th, while the atrocities were still being committed. Before Israel made even a verbal response, never mind any military response.

The protests were led by the very people who are now being rounded up. These leaders were supported by cretinous white western woke fools who could not figure out who the bad guys were on October 7th.

Originally Posted by cyrille

I see no evidence whatsoever that antisemitism is in any way aided and abetted by the universities themselves.

The aiding and abetting was in the form of the university authorities standing by and doing nothing to oppose the violent occupation of their campuses, because the cause being espoused was anti-Israeli. They even defended the actions of the campus rioters who were wrecking their own university. Probably since they figured that they had enough Arab donations pouring in to fix any damage caused by the anti-Israeli protests.

cyrille
That is a patently absurd comparison.

Originally Posted by taxexile

kindly give the reasons that led you to that conclusion.

i'm still waiting.

Originally Posted by Looper

The aiding and abetting was in the form of the university authorities standing by and doing nothing.

Excuse my bluntness, but that simply cannot be cited as 'aiding and abetting' by anyone who understands what those two words mean.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Excuse my obstinate and unbending refusal to see facts

that the authorities stood by and did nothing whilst their college was violently and aggressively occupied was a combination of complicity, collaboration, cowardice and complacency and would have been extremely intimidating to those affected. it went far beyond a peaceful demonstration.



had these demos been against gays, blacks, or the disabled they would have been dispersed within minutes.

Looper, did you know that the bill of rights in the US covers every person, not just citizens? One of the very few places the bill of rights/constitution do specify "citizens" is describing who has the right to vote.

And how much of the wealth of the US is derived from services as opposed to products these days?

Over 80%, of which education is a huge slice.

It's just not 1955 any more.

And tax...fake quotes?

In speakers?

Don't expect any more replies.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Excuse my bluntness, but that simply cannot be cited as 'aiding and abetting' by anyone who understands what those two words mean.

You can aid and abet someone through your inaction as much as through your action. When you are in a position of responsibility to safeguard the safety and well-being of your students and fail to act, as the university authorities did, their inaction is fully culpable in my opinion.

3 university principals were hauled before a senate enquiry in the wake of the riots and all 3 of them failed to confirm that 'calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of university rules of harassment' with weasel words about it 'depending on the context'

Utterly shameful behaviour by these university principals

Moment top US university heads evade question on genocide

Originally Posted by Topper

Looper, did you know that the bill of rights in the US covers every person, not just citizens? One of the very few places the bill of rights/constitution do specify "citizens" is describing who has the right to vote.

How you feel about visitors taking part in political demonstrations will depend on your general political outlook.

Conservatives tend to feel more strongly about border protection and making distinctions between citizens and guests. They will also tend to feel that visitors should not engage in political agitation.

Left wingers tend to lean towards open border policies and making fewer distinctions between citizens and guests. They will also tend to favour outsiders being free to take part in political demonstrations

As a compromise I would suggest that visitors be free to agitate online if they like, since they could do that from overseas anyway; but, I feel they should not take part in public gatherings for political protest. The right to physically assemble for political agitation is a fundamental part of the democratic principle, but I think a distinction should be made between citizens and visitors in this case. My feeling is that this democratic right should be the preserve of paid up citizens only.

In the case of these campus riots. The behaviour went far beyond demonstration and was open intimidation of Jews and physical prevention of them entering educational buildings. I think this should be criminally punishable and especially so in the case of non-citizens, who should lose their visas.

Originally Posted by Looper

How you feel about visitors taking part in political demonstrations will depend on your general political outlook.

Conservatives tend to feel more strongly about border protection and making distinctions between citizens and guests. They will also tend to feel that visitors should not engage in political agitation.

Left wingers tend to lean towards open border policies and making fewer distinctions between citizens and guests. They will also tend to favour outsiders being free to take part in political demonstrations

As a compromise I would suggest that visitors be free to agitate online if they like, since they could do that from overseas anyway; but, I feel they should not take part in public gatherings for political protest. The right to physically assemble for political agitation is a fundamental part of the democratic principle, but I think a distinction should be made between citizens and visitors in this case. My feeling is that this democratic right should be the preserve of paid up citizens only.

In the case of these campus riots. The behaviour went far beyond demonstration and was open intimidation of Jews and physical prevention of them entering educational buildings. I think this should be criminally punishable and especially so in the case of non-citizens, who should lose their visas.

The whole point of laws and the constitution are to protect people from fucking idiots who "feel" or "think" their opinions should dictate outcomes.