International students in the United States have received emails from the US Department of State (DOS) informing them that their F-1 visas (student visas) have been revoked and that they should self-deport using the CBP Home App that the Donald Trump administration launched on March 10. The revocations stem from campus activism, anti-national posts, and, in some cases, merely liking a social media post.
This crackdown follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement that over 300 international students have had their visas revoked. Rubio has recently launched an AI-powered app, “Catch and Revoke”, to detect and cancel the visas of students found supporting Hamas or other designated terrorist organisations.
“Maybe more; it might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” Rubio told reporters at a press conference. He added, “Every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn’t.”
Reports suggest that social media activity will now be closely monitored for new student visa applicants across F (academic study), M (vocational study), and J (exchange) visa categories. Applicants found to be supporting terror groups will be barred from studying in the US.
What does the email that the students received say?
The email sent to students by the authorities instructs them to self-deport using the newly launched CBP Home App.
“On behalf of the United States Department of State, the Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office hereby informs you that additional information became available after your visa was issued. As a result, your F-1 visa with expiration date XXXXX was revoked in accordance with Section 221(i) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended,” the email as quoted by The Times of India (TOI) stated.
It added, “The Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office has alerted the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which manages the Student Exchange Visitor Program and is responsible for removal proceedings. They may notify your designated school official about the revocation of your F-1 visa.”
The email warns that remaining in the US without lawful immigration status could lead to fines, detention, and/or deportation.
“It may also make you ineligible for a future US visa. Please note that deportation can take place at a time that does not allow the person being deported to secure possessions or conclude affairs in the United States. Persons being deported may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin,” it further read.
The email also states that if students wish to return to the US in the future, they must apply for a fresh visa, and their eligibility will be reassessed at that time.
“As soon as you depart the United States, you must personally present your passport to the US embassy or consulate which issued your visa so your visa can be physically cancelled. You must not attempt to use your visa, as it has been revoked. If you intend to travel to the United States in the future, you must apply for another US visa, and a determination on your eligibility for a visa will be made at that time.”
‘US visa is not birthright’
The emails sent to students are a result of an internal directive issued by Rubio, mandating social media reviews for all international students, both new and existing.
Earlier, Rubio said that the US visa is not a birthright and those who violate the terms of visitation would have to leave.
“I don’t know when we’ve got it in our head that a visa is some sort of birthright. It is not,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS News’s Face The Nation show.
He added, “It is a visitor into our country, and if you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave.”
“Unlawful presence is any period of time when you are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, or when you are present in the United States after your ‘period of stay authorised by the Secretary’ expires,” the USCIS website says.