The United States Department of State said it has no details regarding the publication on the revocation of thousands of student visas.
The Trump administration, in its first 100 days, cancelled 4,000 student visas of foreign nationals implicated in criminal activities, according to The New York Post.
The affected students were accused of involvement in offences including assault, arson, robbery, and driving under the influence, among others.
At a press briefing, the State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce explained that the Consular Affairs and the State Department do not discuss the details of visas.
“Certainly I wouldn’t comment on a number that has been printed somewhere,”; the official said.
“We do not provide statistics. We do not discuss numbers. What I can tell you is that it’s something that we don’t provide.”;
The Trump administration is targeting students who participated in last spring’s anti-Israel protests following the military action in Gaza after the Hamas attacks in October 2023.
On Wednesday, Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released on bail after a judge ordered his release from federal immigration custody.
The 34-year-old U.S. permanent resident, born and raised in a West Bank refugee camp, was one of the organisers of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia in 2014.
He was arrested mid-April by DHS agents during his naturalisation interview and held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in St. Albans, Vermont.
“I am saying it clear and loud to President Trump and his cabinet: I am not afraid of you,”; Mahdawi declared outside the Vermont courthouse after his release.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the judge would not prevent the government from restoring the rule of law to the immigration system.
In a statement after the ruling, McLaughlin noted that “it is a privilege”; to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America.
“When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked,”; she affirmed.
