By Aidan Bearden / Staff Writer

International students are feeling increasingly vulnerable as the Trump administration continues to crack down on student activists by revoking their visas. 

On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident with a green card, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Khalil was notably a part of the protests against Israel at Columbia University. This arrest was pursued to follow the executive action by President Trump to punish those who have engaged in “anti-Semitic harassment and violence.” Critics argue this executive action from Trump is unconstitutional.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorists sympathizers from our country.” Since then, the US State Department has revoked at least 300 student visas to seemingly counter activism. 

In a press conference last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.” 

Many international students come to study in the US to pursue opportunities that they may not be able to attain in their home country.

Luis Doia, an international student from Brazil at MVC, said, “I’m majoring right now in business, and I feel that if I have a degree in a first-world country, it would be way more valuable.” 

An MVC student who would prefer to remain anonymous due to fear of government action said, “Me being here grants me an opportunity to not only earn money but to widen my horizons so much that if it’s taken away, it would be close to impossible to be able to be in the position to acquire it again.” 

According to Niche.com, MVC is the second most diverse school in Missouri. This makes MVC susceptible to these visa revocations under the Trump administration. 

Another reason many international students come to America for an education is that America is known as “the Land of the Free”. The First Amendment is empowering for many students, but these arrests stifle this given liberty.

The anonymous student said, “Something [the First Amendment] very precious is being taken away.” 

Most of the recent arrests seem to be students who are associated with Pro-Palestinian activism. This has caused some students not to express their feelings and beliefs about Palestine. The anonymous student said this has caused them feelings of anguish.

“The more you think about it, the worse it feels, and them being Muslim, you know these people because in our culture, when you pray a lot of the time you not only pray for yourself but you pray for every muslim out there,” said the anonymous student. “Seeing these people that have prayed for you and you’ve prayed for them, you feel so hopeless.”

After the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, Doia stated that he stopped using Instagram as a platform to express himself on certain topics that these arrests seem to be targeting. 

Doia said, “I use my Instagram to express myself, especially with Gaza.” 

Doia is around one month from graduating from MVC. He said that he plans to renew his visa to further his education or use his business degree in the US after his visa expires. Doia’s plans to return to the US could be spoiled if the Department of State decides not to allow him to renew his visa. According to the Associated Press, there are also reports of travel bans circulating. A travel ban would not allow international students to be allowed back into the US after leaving the country. 

Doia called Trump’s actions as a tax-paying international student “really disrespectful.” According to the Association of International Educators, international students at MVC contributed $11.6 million to the US economy during the 2023-24 academic year. International students also contribute to higher tuition payments.