U.S. Escalates Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Students: 300+ Visas Revoked, Arrests Mount Under Trump’s Second Term
Turkish and Palestinian students among those targeted as the Trump administration intensifies visa cancellations, detentions, and deportations based on alleged support for Hamas.
Watan-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his country has canceled the visas of no fewer than 300 foreign students, alleging they “support Hamas.” He made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday during his official visit to the South American country of Guyana.
In response to a question about the arrest of Turkish PhD student Remziye Ozturk at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Rubio said that the U.S. administration has been very clear on the matter. He explained that visas of more than 300 foreign students have been revoked, describing them as “Hamas supporters,” “lunatics,” and “anti-Israel.” He added, “We do this every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I cancel their visa—300 people, maybe more. We are searching daily for these crazies who cause chaos.”
Tufts PhD Student Remziye Ozturk Arrested Over Alleged Hamas Ties
On Tuesday evening, U.S. authorities arrested Turkish PhD student Remziye Ozturk from Tufts University without providing a reason. In a statement sent to Anadolu Agency, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Ozturk was involved in activities that disqualify her from holding a student visa. The spokesperson said that investigations by DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concluded that “Ozturk was engaged in activities supporting Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that takes pleasure in killing Americans.”
Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Voices in U.S. Universities
Ozturk’s arrest comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian students and academics. On March 9, U.S. authorities arrested Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, who had led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year denouncing the genocide being committed by Tel Aviv in Gaza.
Indian researcher Badr Khan Suri at Georgetown University was also targeted for deportation on allegations of spreading “Hamas propaganda and anti-Semitism.” However, U.S. Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles blocked the decision.
Pro-Palestinian protests, which began at Columbia University, have spread to more than 50 other universities across the country. Police have detained more than 3,100 individuals, most of whom are students and faculty members.
President Donald Trump’s administration continues its campaign of arrests, detentions, and deportations of people of various nationalities inside the United States, as part of Trump’s pledged immigration crackdown since beginning his second term in January 2025. According to the latest report by the U.S. news site Axios, recent high-profile arrests and deportations indicate an escalation in tactics by immigration officials in Washington, who are now targeting individuals based on their political views or participation in certain activities.
