Secretary of State Rubio Takes a Firm Stand After Reporter Questions Revoked Visa of Activist Student

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made his stance clear: A student visa to the United States is strictly for academic purposes.

It does not grant permission to occupy buildings, clash with law enforcement, disrupt classrooms, or instill fear in Jewish students. The focus should be solely on education. Period.

Rubio reinforced this message following a reporter's inquiry about Rumeysa Ozturk, a Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Ozturk was arrested Tuesday by plain-clothes federal agents after her visa was revoked due to her participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, as reported by the Associated Press.

Supporters of Ozturk's case argue that she merely authored an Op-Ed in favor of the Palestinian cause and claim the authorities have not provided a detailed explanation for the revocation. A U.S. judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security from relocating her outside Massachusetts without court approval as her case proceeds. However, by the time of this ruling, Ozturk had already been transferred to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.

When questioned about the situation during a press conference in Guyana on Thursday, Rubio stated that the government believes it has a strong case against Ozturk—one that should serve as a cautionary example to others.

“If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we are not going to give you a visa,” Rubio declared.

He compared the situation to being an unruly guest in someone else's home.

“If you invite me into your home … and I start putting mud on your couch and spray painting your kitchen, I bet you’re going to kick me out,” Rubio said.

“We’re going to do the same thing if you come into the U.S. as a visitor and create a ruckus for us,” he continued. “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campus. And if we’ve given you a visa and you decide to do that, we’re going to take it away.”

“We don’t want it. We don’t want it in our country. Go back and do it in your country,” he asserted.

Earlier that day, Axios reported that more than 300 student visas have been revoked under the "Catch and Revoke" program, an initiative spearheaded by Rubio’s State Department. The program targets foreign students who engaged in often-violent pro-Hamas protests following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel and the ensuing conflict.

Rubio confirmed the core details of the report during the press briefing.

“It might be more than 300 at this point,” he informed reporters.

“We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he added. “At some point, I hope we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

One of the most prominent individuals facing deportation is Mahmoud Khalil, a leading figure in the Columbia University pro-Hamas riots.

Khalil's situation differs slightly as he holds a green card, but the State Department intends to use 8 U.S. Code § 1227 to justify his removal: “In general, an alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is deportable.”

Should the U.S. tolerate pro-Hamas protesters engaging in vandalism and intimidating students based on religion, race, or ethnicity? Absolutely not. No nation would permit such actions from visitors, and U.S. immigration laws provide the means to prevent it. Ideally, these disruptions will cease as soon as possible—but however long it takes, every individual contributing to them should be removed. Period.