Rubio: US has revoked 300+ student visas amid immigration crackdown

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday estimated that the United States has revoked at least 300 student visas for college students who have participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Rubio said the visas are given to students they expect to come into the United States to receive an education, not one who would destroy U.S. institutions. 

"We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree — not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses," Rubio said in a press briefing in Guyana. "If we've given you a visa and then you decide to do that, we're gonna take it away."

"We do it every day," the secretary continued. "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa. [It] might be more than 300 at this point." 

Rubio added that once a visa is revoked then the student is in the country illegally and must leave or face deportation. 

The comments comes as the U.S. cracks down on both antisemitism on college campuses and illegal immigration. Columbia University served as the hotbed of pro-Palestine demonstrations last year, which damaged the university's campus and saw participants harass Jewish students and faculty. 

Immigration officials have recently turned to the protests on college campuses as part of its crackdown, which some immigration advocates claim violates the First Amendment by stifling free speech. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.