The United States immigration authorities have revoked the visas of nearly 1,500 international students, corroborated by the American higher education journal Inside Higher Education (IHE).
The move is reportedly targeting students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses across the US.
The reports suggest that the visa revocation extend beyond direct participation in protests to include individuals indirectly involved with the Palestinian cause.
The US government alleges these students incited anti-Semitism, but these claims have been vehemently rejected by students, lawyers, and social activists.
Many Jewish activists and groups have been at the forefront of these protests.
While the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of 300 student visas at the end of March, the actual number of affected students is significantly higher.
The Immigration Lawyers Association reported that 4,700 students were removed from the immigration database, known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS).
As of April 17th, the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA) said that there are reports about 1,400 students who now face deportation, while the IHE confirmed that 1,489 students had lost their visas.
These visa cancellations have impacted students across 240 universities and colleges across the US, including prominent private institutions like Harvard, Stanford, The Ohio State University, and the University of Maryland, as well as various liberal arts colleges.
