The Trump Administration has used its power to revoke student visas for international students who were affiliated with or joined with Pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, as well as those with certain political posts. The policy of denial or quiet cancellation of student visas occurred to students without providing meaningful cause. More than 600 students have been denied entry or forcefully removed from the United States. However, the administration has made it very plain and direct that the international students being singled out are those that attended pro-Palestinian protests in universities like Columbia, UCLA, & UT Dallas.
The safety rationale justifies the current administration actions even though its true purpose targets dissenting actions. Racial profiling emerges because a large number of targeted students belong to Arab Muslim or South Asian groups. Peaceful protests now present possible grounds for deportation, according to the revelations in this scenario.
International students stay in the United States as visitors while upholding the rights granted by the Constitution. By silencing international students during peaceful protests, the administration violates their academic liberties and established a warning to students about their limited freedom of protest.
The immigration policy communicates a troubling message to all students, especially those who are from immigrant families or are members of minority groups. According to this policy, freedom of speech exists only within restrictions. It tells us that peaceful protests have dangerous consequences for participants when the political cause is unpopular among the administration. For international students, this means facing ramifications against their academic education, personal security, and legal immigration after expressing themselves through their protected right to protest, guaranteed by the First Amendment.
This decision is expected to deter student activist movements among the entire student population. Many students from HCC and similar community colleges will ultimately enroll in universities where political activism forms an integral aspect of student life. When federal authorities start sanctioning students or campus protests, it demonstrates a willingness to transform immigration law into a weapon for political reprisal. Failure to speak out against this current situation enables acceptance of freedom of speech as a target for criminal prosecution during justice movements.
Every person who ventures into a U.S academic campus should possess the privilege to exercise freedom of speech. Every international student who enters a United States college on university grounds should have this freedom.
