State Department: US cancels more than 300 visas for Hamas supporters

The U.S. State Department has initiated a sweeping visa-review process, resulting in the revocation of hundreds of visas, with many others under scrutiny, particularly targeting foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestine activism.

The move has drawn significant criticism from various groups, who view it as an infringement on academic freedom and free speech, Caliber.Az reports via UK media.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the ongoing crackdown, revealing that more than 300 visas have already been canceled, with promises of more to follow. Rubio, during a visit to Guyana, referred to the individuals affected by the revocations as “lunatics” linked to campus protests supporting Palestine. He remarked, “We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics.”

One of the most high-profile cases involves Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University on a Fulbright scholarship. Ozturk was detained by U.S. immigration authorities and had her visa revoked after she voiced support for Palestinians in Gaza in an op-ed she co-authored for her university's newspaper. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused her of engaging in activities supporting Hamas, which has been widely criticized as an attack on academic freedom and an erosion of free speech.

Rubio defended the actions, stating, “We revoked her visa ... once you’ve lost your visa, you’re no longer legally in the United States … if you come into the US as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don’t want it. We don’t want it in our country. Go back and do it in your country.”

The visa revocation campaign is part of a broader, more aggressive deportation enforcement strategy. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has simultaneously introduced other restrictive measures, including pausing green card processing for certain refugees and asylum seekers and issuing a global directive instructing visa officers to deny entry to transgender athletes, a move impacting a small group of individuals.

In another statement, the State Department confirmed the revocation of visas for “more than 20 individuals” and said that hundreds more were under consideration due to “national security concerns.” The department added that the review process would continue, aiming to ensure that visitors to the U.S. do not violate the terms of their visas or pose a threat to the country.

By Khagan Isayev