Visas canceled, threats of deportation: What's happening at US universities right now
Hundreds of international students in the USA were told within a few days: Pack your bags - you have to leave the country. The reason? Partly participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, partly critical posts on social networks. In some cases, a like or sharing a video is apparently enough.
As the Times of India reports, these are not isolated cases, but a broad-based campaign called "catch and revoke". The sender: the US State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Its aim: to identify foreign students who, in the view of the authorities, express support for terrorist groups such as Hamas - and expel them as quickly as possible.
Artificial intelligence now searches social media accounts
What was unthinkable just a few years ago is now reality: the social media profiles of foreign students are systematically monitored, analyzed and evaluated - with the help of artificial intelligence. Anyone who stands out in this digital dragnet can lose their visa within a few hours. Without a hearing, without a trial.
The e-mails sent to those affected clearly state:
- The visa was subsequently revoked due to new information.
- Deportation is possible at any time, including possible fines or imprisonment.
- There is no guarantee that you will be returned to your country of origin if you are deported.
- People should "pre-empt deportation" and leave the country themselves - in other words, deport themselves.
Trump and Rubio get serious - and many are afraid
The current line was already publicly announced at the end of January. Donald Trump, who is presenting himself as a "strong man" in the election campaign, responded to pro-jihadist protests with the statement:
"We will find you - and deport you."
His Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now implementing this - and in doing so is also affecting people who have not made themselves liable to prosecution but have merely expressed their opinion. The problem is that the authorities draw a very fine line between legitimate criticism and alleged support for extremist groups.
Pressure on universities - and on students
This is a sensitive issue for many universities in the USA. On the one hand, foreign students - around 1.5 million people - are an enormous economic factor. On the other hand, universities are also coming under increasing pressure to take a public stance against pro-Palestinian protests.
The case of a Turkish doctoral student recently made headlines: She was arrested by US agents in the middle of the street - apparently because she was critical of the government in online posts. Her fellow students are now talking about "fascist conditions" at universities.
Conclusion: Freedom of expression with reservations?
What is currently happening at American universities is more than just a visa conflict - it is a test case for the state of democracy in a country that upholds freedom of expression but apparently draws red lines on certain issues.
For foreign students, this means that anyone making a political statement is treading on thin ice - and can be declared a risk from one day to the next.
Whether this is justified or not is currently decided by algorithms, authorities and political interests.
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