In a Truth Social post by President Trump on Tuesday, the Commander in Chief issued a warning to students protesting on behalf of Hamas, saying, “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”
On Thursday, Rubio issued a follow-up message on X (formerly Twitter) warning, “Those who support terrorist organizations threaten our national security. The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. — including international students — face visa denial or revocation, and deportation.”
The stern warnings follow recent demonstrations in New York at Columbia University and Barnard College. In one protest on Tuesday, more than 200 pro-Palestinian protesters rallied at Columbia University in opposition to a scheduled appearance at the campus by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
On Wednesday, police arrested nine protesters at Barnard College after they stormed the school library. The rioters refused to leave the facility despite warnings from administrators of an active bomb threat. Many of the students remained until New York Police made the arrests, insisting the bomb threat was a lie.
The pro-Hamas demonstrations have been occurring at multiple campuses across the United States since the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel. Those participating in the demonstrations, including students who are foreign non-immigrants, have faced few real consequences for preventing students and faculty from attending classes or preventing them accessing parts of campuses out of fear.
During the Biden administration, foreign students were never warned of any consequences of pro-Hamas activities. In many cases, criminal charges were dropped for those arrested for disrupting activities on college campuses. At one campus protest observed by Breitbart Texas at the University of Texas in 2024, nearly 80 protesters were arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Troopers for failing to disperse. Within weeks of the protest, the County Attorney for Travis County dismissed criminal charges of trespassing against all of the protesters arrested at the campus.
Secretary Rubio’s warning signals that, at least for those protesters who are foreign students, the consequences of engaging in activities that offer support to Hamas or any other foreign terrorist organization will be swift.
According to the State Department, an F-1 student visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may deny or revoke a visa based on an applicant’s current and/or past actions, such as drug or criminal activities that include endorsing or espousing terrorist activity, persuading others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity, or supporting a terrorist organization.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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