US revokes 6,000 student visas over crimes and terrorism links

The State Department has revoked more than 6,000 international student visas because of violations of US law and overstays, the department told the BBC.

The agency said the "vast majority" of the violations were assault, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary and "support for terrorism".

The move comes as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on immigration and international students.

While the State Department did not specify what they meant by "support for terrorism", the Trump administration has targeted some students who have protested in support of Palestine, arguing they had expressed antisemitic behaviour.

Of the 6,000 student visas that were revoked, the State Department said about 4,000 of those were revoked because visitors broke the law.

Another 200-300 visas were also revoked for "terrorism done under INA 3B", the State Department said, referring to code that defines "terrorist activity" broadly as acts that endanger human life or violate US law.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration paused scheduling visa appointments for international students. In June, when they restarted appointments, they announced they would ask all applicants to make their social media accounts public for enhanced screening.

They said they would search for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States".

State Department officers were also instructed to screen for those "who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who perpetrate unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence".

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in May that he estimated "thousands" of student visas had been rescinded since January.

"I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do," Rubio told US lawmakers on 20 May. "We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities."

Democrats have pushed back against the Trump administration’s effort to revoke student visas, describing it is an attack on due process.

More than 1.1 million international students from over 210 countries were enrolled in US colleges in the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, an organisation that collects data on foreign students.