Student visa suspended, Student deported following protests

Fox News reported 3/7/2025 that Trump is set to announce punishments for students in America here on student visas who engage in what he calls 'illegal protests.'

One student has already allegedly had his student visa revoked and is being deported, although there is no information about the student or the school according to the report.

There have been several reported instances of student visas being threatened or allegedly suspended in relation to campus protests, particularly those involving pro-Palestinian activism in the United States. However, based on the information available as of March 07, 2025, no single case provides a definitive, fully verified example of a student visa being revoked solely due to protest activity. Below, I’ll outline a notable claim and a specific case that has garnered attention, along with relevant details.

Alleged UCLA Case (Unverified)

One widely circulated claim involves a supposed UCLA international student whose visa was allegedly revoked for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. This story emerged from a viral video posted on X around early February 2025. The post, which garnered nearly 46 million views, claimed that a Chinese student named Liu Lijun had her visa revoked due to her involvement in protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The video reportedly featured a student who had been arrested in May 2024 during a campus protest. However, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official stated to Annenberg Media that they could not confirm the incident, saying, “We have nothing to support these claims as being true.” Additionally, sources familiar with the protests indicated that the person in the video had a different name than Liu Lijun, and it remains unclear whether she was even a UCLA student. This suggests the claim may be misinformation or exaggerated, lacking substantiated evidence as of now.

• Campus: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

• Student Information: Allegedly a Chinese student named Liu Lijun, but identity and enrollment status are unverified. The individual in the video was reportedly arrested in May 2024.

• Status: No official confirmation from ICE or UCLA; likely not a real case of visa revocation based on current evidence.

Cornell University Case (Momodou Taal)

A more documented case involves Momodou Taal, a PhD candidate at Cornell University. Taal, a British-Gambian international student on an F-1 visa, faced suspension due to his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. In September 2024, Cornell suspended him for his role in organizing an encampment and later for disrupting a careers fair attended by defense contractors. The second suspension invalidated his visa, and he was advised by Cornell’s administration to leave the U.S. as soon as possible. This case drew significant attention, including support from faculty, students, and figures like Senator Bernie Sanders, leading to a nationwide pressure campaign. Cornell eventually reinstated Taal’s student status, preserving his visa, though he is currently barred from campus and teaching duties. This incident highlights the real risks international students face, though it did not ultimately result in deportation.

• Campus: Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

• Student Information: Momodou Taal, a graduate student from The Gambia with British citizenship, studying in the Africana Studies department. Born in The Gambia, he was pursuing a PhD.

• Status: Suspended in September 2024, visa threatened but reinstated after public pressure; no deportation occurred.

Broader Context

The issue of student visas and protests has been amplified by recent policy developments. In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, promising to revoke visas of “Hamas sympathizers” and deport those participating in “pro-jihadist protests.” This followed a campaign pledge to address campus radicalism. While no widespread deportations have been confirmed as of early March 2025, reports from groups like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) suggest that at least a dozen students faced visa cancellations over the winter break, some potentially unrelated to protests (e.g., two students from Gaza with no activist history). These claims lack detailed public verification due to confidentiality laws, according to the State Department.

Across U.S. campuses like Columbia, MIT, and the University of Texas, international students have faced arrests and suspensions for protest involvement, but no concrete evidence shows visas being revoked solely for peaceful protesting as of now. For instance, a DHS official noted in May 2024 that no visas had been terminated due to campus protests at that point. The risk remains high, however, as suspensions can lead to SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record terminations, making a student’s presence in the U.S. unlawful if not addressed. 17GEN4.com