The Trump administration has revoked more than 6,000 student visas since January 20 this year, the State Department has said.
Officials told Fox News Digital that around 200 to 300 people had their visas cancelled due to “supporting terrorism”, while another 4,000 had broken the law.
Those people were among roughly 40,000 who have had their papers rescinded during the second Trump era, compared to 16,000 during the same time frame under Biden.
“Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States,” a senior State Department official told Fox.
“About 4,000 visas alone have been revoked because these visitors broke the law while visiting our country, including records of assault and DUIs.”
Officials did not give a breakdown of those incidents, or say how many were violent crimes, stating only that they included burglary, assault, and driving under the influence.
An unknown number of students were also told to leave due to overstaying their visas which is generally a civil violation rather than a crime.
It comes as the White House expands its efforts to police foreign students’ political beliefs, instructing all U.S. embassies to vet applicants’ social media profiles for signs of “hostility” towards the “citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States”.
The administration has particularly targeted pro-Palestinian activists, claiming — sometimes with little evidence — that they are supporters of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.
Earlier this month Trump’s border czar Tom Homan vowed to continue trying to deport Columbia University graduate and green card holder Mahmoud Khalil, despite several court rulings in his favor.
The administration has repeatedly sought to block Harvard University from enrolling students and teachers from abroad as it tries to force the 400-year-old institution to crack down on student protests and hire more conservatives.
These new policies appear to be having a chilling effect on prospective students, with the industry body NAFSA predicting a 30 to 40 percent drop in new foreign enrollments by fall 2025.
An alliance of college professors is suing the U.S. government alleging it violated their First Amendment rights by targeting and detaining pro-Palestinian students and faculty.
“We don’t deport people based on ideology,” insisted Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
