ICE strips 6,000+ international students of legal status in unprecedented crackdown

State Department revoked over 6,000 student visas in 2025, affecting students at nearly 250 colleges nationwide including 🌰Ohio State, University at Buffalo, and 🦆Minnesota State. A department spokesperson confirmed the figure on Aug. 19, 2025.

Around 4,000 visa revocations stemmed from alleged law violations including assault, driving under the influence, and burglary. An additional 200-300 students lost visas for alleged "support for terrorism" under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Students receive immediate deportation orders from Department of Homeland Security, breaking past practice allowing completion of studies. Many discover their status termination through routine database checks rather than official notification.

Pro-Palestinian activists specifically targeted including Columbia graduate student MKMahmoud Khalil, who was detained despite green card status. Officials cited Trump's executive orders on antisemitism during his arrest.

Tufts University doctoral student RÖRümeysa Öztürk was detained for six weeks after co-writing an op-ed criticizing university response to Israel's war in Gaza. Federal judge ordered her release in May, finding insufficient evidence for terrorism allegations.

Students face deportation for minor infractions including traffic violations, dismissed charges, and campus protest participation. Some targeted students were never charged with crimes or involved in protests.

ICE temporarily restored hundreds of student statuses in Apr. 2025 after multiple federal lawsuits challenged due process violations. However, thousands more students who didn't file suits remained at risk of deportation.