‘US visa is a privilege, not a right,’ Donald Trump administration warns foreign students, threats revocation of visa

The Donald Trump administration has informed that strict action will be taken against non-citizens, especially students who break the laws of the United States, while reminding them that granting a visa is a privilege and not a right. Hence, visas of non-US citizens may be revoked for breaking the laws.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, wrote, “There is now a one-strike policy: Catch-And-Revoke. Whenever the government catches non-U.S. citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation’s generosity ends.”

“The State Department has now made clear that a visa is a privilege, not a right,” he added.

Warning for foreign students

The latest statement specifically referred to foreign students, especially the ones allegedly sympathising with Hamas, who attacked Israel, a US ally.

“When Hamas, one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations, launched its barbaric October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, brutally murdering more than 1,200 innocents, and parading the dead bodies of murdered babies through the streets of Gaza, the Biden Administration did very little to protect our Jewish citizens and the American people at large from foreign terrorist sympathizers in their midst. They allowed campus buildings to be overrun by violent thugs, and Jewish students to be excluded from classrooms,” Rubio wrote.

Donald Trump's crackdown on Universities

The recent statement comes amid Donald Trump's crackdown on foreign Universities over their alleged support for a pro-Palestinian campus, as well as other issues, including climate initiatives, transgender policies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Trump recently signed an executive order to ensure transparency of foreign funds in Universities and colleges. The order seeks complete and timely disclosure of foreign funding by higher education institutions. It directs universities to disclose the true source and purpose of foreign funds and warns that certain Federal grant funds could be revoked for failure to comply with foreign funding disclosure requirements.

Criticism of Joe Biden administration

Rubio's statement further criticised the lenient policies of Joe Biden's administration and said, “Under the Biden Administration’s 'Catch and Release' policy, illegal aliens were often provided with a get-out-of-jail-free card after arrests for criminal activity, including domestic violence, and assault.”