In recent months, the United States observed a disturbing trend: college and university students from international backgrounds — many of whom are studying in the U.S. legally — are being wrongly targeted for deportation over minor infractions, administrative errors or for exercising their First Amendment right of free speech and free assembly. Since the re-election of President Donald Trump, his administration came in headstrong, implementing sweeping changes to immigration policies, from mass deportations to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to invasive visa retractions. However, one of the most destructive courses of action done by the Trump administration is the expulsion of international students — students who are here legally for one purpose: to study.
The U.S. is the backdrop to many of the world’s most prestigious and historical educational institutions. Between 25 and 36 of the top 100 universities worldwide, according to Times Higher Education, American universities dominate international rankings. In addition to being prestigious secondary educational institutions, Harvard University, Stanford University and Princeton University are also well-known international organizations that draw the best students from across the world. “International students have traveled to the U.S. for college purposes for years, which fueled economic expansion, research, foreign diplomacy and innovation,” according to the Association of International Educators.
This raises the question: if the U.S. hosts some of the most prestigious universities, why would it deport its own students? Take Kseniya Petrova, a Russian researcher at Harvard Medical School. She was arrested for re-entering the U.S. from France without declaring non-hazardous frog embryos. Her visa was canceled despite her academic reputation and contributions to the field of medical research. Now, she fears being deported, putting her back in Russia. In Petrova’s case, it is clear that a minor oversight should not warrant such an extreme and immediate response like visa revocation and detention. Petrova’s case raises concerns about the speed and severity of the Trump administration’s willingness to act, even against individuals who contribute meaningfully to U.S. institutions.
But Petrova’s case is just one of hundreds. Since 2025, more than 525 international student visas have been revoked, often without clear justification or due process, according to an article by NBC News.
Some were targeted for minor infractions like traffic tickets or dropped charges; others were penalized for political activism, particularly pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Mahmoud Khalili, a Columbia University protest leader and permanent resident, was the first to be taken into custody as he helped lead protests at Columbia University against the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza. Khalil, whose wife was eight months pregnant when he was taken into custody, was detained by I.C.E. and sent to a detention center in Louisiana, not for any crime, but for leading campus protests against the war.
So, why is it that such accomplished international students coming from foreign countries are getting their visas revoked and deported for minor incidents that any other person in the U.S. has made so many times over?
In an interview with NBC News, Jath Shao, a Cleveland-based immigration attorney who runs a virtual law firm and represents several international students, touches on this situation: “It’s just part of their whole plan about reducing immigration entirely,” Shao said. “They come after the small and the weak — people who don’t have as many resources to defend themselves.”
It is important to understand a clear underlying theme; a clear portion of the revocations appears to target students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, raising true concerns about First Amendment violations.
There is no clear or underlying reason why these students and individual citizens or visa holders are getting taken into custody or getting their visas revoked. It is simply a clear act of power and dominance from the Trump administration, asserting its authority and sending a message across the world to immigrants.
But why students? Simply because these students are easy targets and vulnerable in these situations. But we need to understand the reality, these students aren’t members of criminal organizations or involved in illegal activity — they are simply students. Students who are trying to make a life for themselves learn and study at some of the world’s top institutions. The Trump Administration is concerned about immigration to the U.S., but why are they attacking and punishing these students?
Just like other students who come from within the U.S., all students, most prominently international students, deserve a chance to learn and study in one of the most prestigious countries for education in the world. It is in no one’s best interest to remove these students and take away the opportunities that they have worked so hard for. The Trump Administration needs to stop and begin to work on the real issues in the world that are directly affecting our society today.
