Trump Crackdown: Over 1,500 Student Visas Revoked, Harvard Faces $2 Billion Freeze, Columbia Under Supervision

The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism and dissent on U.S. university campuses, with a particular focus on international students. Federal authorities have implemented measures including social media surveillance, USCIS visa reviews, and a broadened definition of antisemitism as grounds for potential deportation. These policies have led to a climate of fear among students, who now face the risk of visa revocation, academic retaliation, and deportation for their activism or online speech.

Reports indicate that more than 1,500 student visas have been revoked in recent weeks, with additional cases of detention and deportation proceedings against students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. Notable incidents include the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University, and the detention of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, both linked to their activism. The administration has also threatened to withdraw federal funding from universities, such as Harvard, unless they comply with demands to reform admissions and hiring practices and to discipline or report students engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.

The Department of Education has warned state education departments to remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding, and Harvard has faced a $2 billion grant freeze after refusing to comply with administration demands outlined in an April 11 letter. Initiatives such as Project Esther have been cited as blueprints for countering antisemitism and targeting pro-Palestinian expression. Columbia University has agreed to most federal demands and is under consideration for court supervision.

Over 4,700 international student immigration records were terminated, and Senator Marco Rubio announced that some 300 international students had their visas revoked this year. Legal challenges have been mounted, including a lawsuit by Cornell University student Momodou Taal, who left the country after his visa was revoked. Legal experts and university leaders have raised concerns about the erosion of free speech, academic independence, and due process rights.