Harvard is reportedly advising foreign students to reconsider travel outside of the United States, as well as warning them of the consequences that may stem from pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests.
During a “Know Your Rights” webinar on Wednesday, Harvard International Office Director of Immigration Services Maureen Martin and Harvard Representation Initiative Staff Attorney Jason Corral discussed “hypothetical scenarios” with students, according to a report by the Harvard Crimson.
After being asked about international students engaging in protests, Corral said he would advise foreigners to take more caution during President Donald Trump’s second term, claiming, “The difference is we have seen situations where it seems as though people’s visas are being revoked” due to protests.
Corral also suggested that international students go through their previous public statements and academic work in order to assess their travel risk.
“If you have a bunch of photos on your phone that suggest something that may be contrary to what they deem as a foreign policy interest and a reason for why they’re revoking these student visas — pictures of protests or something like that — that could go into their discretionary decision-making too,” he said.
But deleting images or messages could also raise suspicion among Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, Corral added.
Corral also advised students to “consider for themselves how essential their travel is and do a risk assessment based on the importance of the travel,” claiming he feels “very concerned about international students traveling at this time.”
Last week, the Harvard International Office sent an email to foreign students informing them that three of Harvard students and two recent graduates had their student visas revoked, the Harvard Crimson noted.
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In its email, the office reportedly admitted it was “not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them” adding that Harvard found out about revoked visas during a “routine records review.”
“Many visa revocations so far have been tied to students’ involvement in pro-Palestine activism, but other students have had their visas revoked over minor infractions including traffic violations,” Harvard’s student newspaper acknowledged.
The Harvard Crimson added that universities across the country are typically not notified before their international students have their visas revoked, and that schools usually find out by running checks on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“We’re checking SEVIS on a regular basis for that kind of thing, and we haven’t seen anything troublesome yet,” Martin told Harvard students during Wednesday’s webinar.
On March 27, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that at least 300 foreign students have had their visas revoked under the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown and pro-Hamas purge, according to a report by Axios.
“Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point,” Rubio said. “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.”
“I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up,” Rubio added.
While students who get their entry visas revoked are allowed to stay in the U.S. as long as they are enrolled in courses, some have also had their legal residency terminated, which means they could be up next for deportation.
“It’s unfortunate we even have to have a session like this,” Martin complained during Wednesday’s webinar.
So far, there have not been any reported immigration arrests of Harvard students, the student newspaper noted, adding that the university has not clarified how it would handle a situation like that if it were to unfold.
Last weekend, several Columbia University graduates ripped apart their diplomas during a protest against the Trump administration and the school’s cooperation with authorities detaining former student Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel activist who has led radical protests at the university.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
