Recently, at least eight international students and professors, all holding green cards or student visas, have been targeted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, more commonly known as ICE, and are facing the threat of deportation due to allegations of supporting terrorism and threatening national security.
On March 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed he intervened to cancel the visas of about 300 students, saying that the number may be even higher, and expressed his hope that the effort would continue until all individuals deemed “destabilizing” are removed. “At some point I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up,” said Rubio. In many cases, individuals have been detained and removed without clear due process or any criminal charges.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, was arrested by ICE agents near her home while en route to meet friends for a Ramadan fast-breaking meal. According to her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, Ozturk was taken by six agents who were seen in video footage confiscating her phone and handcuffing her. A senior spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that investigators believed Ozturk had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” a group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled that ICE must keep Ozturk in Massachusetts and provide a 48-hour notice if the agency plans to move her out of state.
Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and the lead negotiator of Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampment, was detained by ICE on March 8. Khalil, who graduated in December, was initially accused of threatening U.S. foreign policy. However, the government later claimed that Khalil had failed to disclose his work with the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNWRA, on his permanent resident application.
Dogukan Gunaydin, a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota, was among those detained in March 2025 for alleged connections to Hamas. Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian national and doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, was arrested at his home early one Tuesday morning in March under similar allegations. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student at Columbia University, was arrested on March 14, 2025, for allegedly overstaying her visa. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeled her a Hamas supporter without providing evidence. The Trump administration has pulled $400m of federal funding from Columbia University, claiming that it failed to fight antisemitism on campus.
An international graduate at the University of Minnesota has also been detained for unknown accusations, and their location and immigration status remain unclear. Per safety and privacy obligations, the student has not been identified, but the university called their arrest “a deeply concerning situation” in the letter.
The current situation with ICE raids has been jarring in its intensity and frequency. Many of the visas that have been canceled were student visas, according to Marco Rubio, and many being detained face cases pertaining to personal political activism. Arguments continue over the line between protecting first amendment rights to free speech and following the Immigration and Nationality Act. When does standing up for what you believe in become a threat to society?
