Protect International Students and their Freedom of Speech

In May, the US State Department issued a directive to stop scheduling visa interviews for international students and announced that they will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students." This edict comes just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a “mandatory social media check” for international students who received a visa after Oct. 7, 2023 or for those “who have expressed sympathy for Palestinians during the war,” a blatant violation of first amendment rights that led to the high profile abductions of Rümeysa Öztürk, Mohsen Mahdawi, Mahmoud Khalil, and other international students without due process.

In an effort to intimidate international students from seeking visas, Rubio has warned that “we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up," referring to all international students who speak out against the war in Gaza. According to the Institute of International Education, there are over 1.1 million international students in the US, making up about 6% of students in US higher education and contributing $43.8 billion to the US economy. Due to this drastic and dangerous overreach of power by the Trump administration, over 1.1 million students are uncertain as to the future of their education. Over 1,800 international students from nearly 300 colleges and universities had their legal status revoked in April.

On July 7th, a federal judge will rule whether or not the Trump administration’s policy violates the first amendment of these international students. The administration and State Department’s actions set a dangerous precedent of ignoring and undermining the constitution while targeting immigrants, students, and anyone who speaks out against the US government. Demand your representatives oppose these attacks on international students and their freedom of speech.