Upcoming Events: April 8th, Kill the Cuts (Nationwide), Protest at ASU+GSV (San Diego). April 17th Fight for Higher Education (Nationwide). Send tips to Glen McGhee at gmcghee@aya.yale.edu.
(Higher Education Inquirer) Can you tell us more about the process that the State Department is
using to decide what student visas are revoked? Should students from
particular countries, like Iran and China, be concerned? Besides
pro-Palestinian activists, are there any other areas of activism that
may be targeted, such as those concerned about climate change?
(US State Department)
The United States has zero tolerance for non-citizens who violate
U.S. laws. Those who break the law, including students, may face visa
denial, visa revocation, and/or deportation.
All visa applicants, no matter the visa type and where they are
located, are continuously vetted. Security vetting runs from the time
of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards
during the validity period of every issued visa, to ensure the
individual remains eligible to travel to the United States.
When considering revocations, the Department looks at information
that arises after the visa was issued that may indicate a potential visa
ineligibility under U.S. immigration laws. This can include everything
from arrests, criminal convictions, and engaging in conduct that is
inconsistent with the visa classification, to an overstay.
Given our commitment to and responsibility for national security,
the Department uses all available tools to receive and review concerning
information about possible ineligibilities.
The Higher Education Inquirer (HEI) has requested a list of more than 300 students who have had their visas revoked. We hope that other news outlets will follow suit. At this point, we only know of a handful of high-profile cases, from Tufts University, Columbia, Cornell, and Georgetown.
According to the State Department Press Office:
As
the Secretary indicated, the Department revokes visas every day in
order to secure America's borders and keep our communities safe -- and
will continue to do so. Because the process is ongoing, the number of
revocations is dynamic. The Department generally does not provide
statistics on visa revocations, and due to privacy considerations, we do
not discuss individual visa cases.
Elite universities have changed their policies to significantly reduce free speech and free assembly. In response, college students and their faculty allies are having to regroup and rethink how they protest the US-Israel war against Palestine as it expands in the Middle East. On the establishment side, will universities further crack down on students and faculty, wherever peaceful protests might occur?
Campus "Crime and Punishment"
Elite universities like UCLA have dramatically reduced the areas that students can speak and assemble freely, restricting protesters to free speech zones, a common tactic used by the US government during the War on Terror. Universities have also upped surveillance measures and punished students involved in protests, with limited due process.
The visible resistance may now be limited on campuses where students have been detained, assaulted, arrested, expelled, and banned from campus. Foreign students wary of facing deportation may also be keeping quiet, publicly.
There have been a number of protests against the US-backed war that has expanded from Gaza, to the Occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran. Demonstrations have been held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and other college towns, including Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa. Those protests will be closely observed and documented by law enforcement.
With the help of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the fossil fuel lobby, states have already crafted anti-protest legislation to reduce public free speech and free assembly. According to the UK Guardian, 45 states have considered new anti-protest legislation since 2017.
Protests on Campus
Over the last week, there were small protests at Penn State University and the University of Arizona. The Penn State demonstration, which had about 60 attendees, was supported by Penn State Students for
Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Student Committee for Defense and
Solidarity (SCDS), the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), the United
Socialists at Penn State (USPSU) and the People's Defense Front -
Northern Appalachia. The impromptu Arizona protest was set up by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. At Cornell University, about 100 students protested a career fair that included defense contractors Boeing and L3 Harris. It's not surprising that these demonstrations would be small, given recent crackdowns across the country.
Collaboration Between Elite Schools and Law Enforcement
Will elite schools work with law enforcement at the local, state, federal, and international level to further restrict free speech and freedom of assembly? And university administrators try to quell dissent, will students be more harshly disciplined for planning and engaging in peaceful protests, of any type, on and off campus?
Here's a Google graphic of views by nation of the Higher Education Inquirer over the last 30 days. Almost every view from Israel came on one day last week. Also note the views from Hong Kong, Hungary, China, and Iran. Is anyone else observing this type of internet traffic? And what exactly does it mean?
