Trump administration revokes 300+ visas targeting student activists; Indian students in US on radar again?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed Thursday that the Trump administration might have revoked more than 300 visas so far, emphasizing a daily hunt for individuals he labelled as “lunatics” disrupting campuses and public order.

“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 visas,” Rubio said during a press conference in Guyana. “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

Rubio’s sharp remarks came in response to questions about the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University who was arrested Wednesday in Boston by masked and plainclothes agents. Ozturk had openly voiced support for Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.

The Secretary of State confirmed Ozturk’s visa was revoked, warning that Washington will withdraw visas from students who engage in actions such as “vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus.” Rubio did not clarify whether Ozturk had personally participated in such activities.

Ozturk’s detention drew widespread attention because it followed her previous activism. Last year, she co-authored an opinion piece in the Tufts Daily criticizing the university's stance on student calls to divest from companies linked to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”

Supporters argue that her arrest marks the first known immigration detention of a Boston-area student for activism under Trump’s administration. The administration has previously detained or targeted several foreign-born students legally residing in the U.S. involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Critics have labelled these actions as an attack on free speech rights, though the Trump administration maintains that specific protests are antisemitic and could undermine American foreign policy objectives.

(With Reuters inputs)