Table of Contents
On March 8th, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a master’s student and pro-Palestine activist at Columbia University. Khalil was charged with no crime; rather, the Trump Administration has justified the arrest with a 1952 law that allows the Secretary of State to deport anyone whose presence “would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” A judge in Louisiana recently ruled in favor of the administration’s actions.
Khalil’s case is far from unique, as the Trump administration has weaponized the revocation of student visas for political reasons. From the suspension of visas held by South Sudanese citizens over their country’s refusal to accept deportations, to paranoia over the espionage dangers presented by Chinese international students, international students are now being used as bargaining chips in a larger geopolitical game.
These measures, however, are patently illegal, unethical, and unwise. Whether it be violating free speech protections, creating a chilling effect for international talent coming to America, or taking actions in excessive haste, the recent student deportations have been wholly negative and counterproductive.
The most abject of these deportations stem from pro-Palestinian protestors, whose targeting is a brazen violation of the First Amendment. Ignoring this bedrock of American public discourse and snatching up college students for simply participating in protests or writing op-eds is appalling and un-American. The Stanford Review itself is a bastion of free speech on campus and it would be equally horrendous if the Review writers on student visas were attacked this way.
There are legal provisions for the deportation of aliens when there is evidence that they provided material support to terrorist organizations with the intent of supporting terrorism. If Mahmoud Khalil were collecting money to buy Hamas new Kalashnikovs, then there would be strong grounds to revoke his green card, deport him, and even prosecute him. The administration, however, has not produced any evidence that any of their detainees have assisted terrorist groups.
Even if one were to believe the justification of “adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” the administration fails this litmus test too. Parading around in keffiyehs, screaming “intifada”, or writing op-eds in college newspapers are far from constituting a major threat to U.S. foreign policy. These protests have already failed miserably with calls for divestment falling flat. The administration has no grounds whatsoever, and this test is also far too vague. Hypothetically, if the administration were to deport Ukrainian international students who oppose the current administration’s policy toward the conflict, that situation would be functionally no different than what we are seeing today and be equally ludicrous.
Punishing people simply because you don’t agree with them is the action of authoritarian regimes and one-party dictatorships, not of the United States.
Next comes the blatant retaliatory measures against South Sudanese students. In order to push South Sudan to accept a deported individual that South Sudan refuses, the State Department announced the revocation of all visas held by South Sudanese citizens. This diplomatic pressure has actually made South Sudan take this specific individual and facilitate his deportation. Yet the government’s initial announcement still set off panic among the South Sudanese community in the U.S. including college basketball players.
Yet this short-term success will backfire. Overkill policy will create a chilling effect on other nations that have people who aspire to study or work in the U.S. Attracting the cream of the crop from all around the world is a unique strength of America and our higher education remains the world’s most enviable. But bullying nations and peoples will only sow animosity and steer talent away from America. Especially for Africa where China continually expands its soft power through investment and infrastructure, these thuggish tactics will be a great detriment to U.S. foreign policy.
A nation that wields its power like a hammer will come to see every problem as a nail even when they aren’t.
Chinese international students’ visas have also been targeted for spurious reasons. In recent days, the Trump administration has requested information from Stanford regarding international students from China over national security and espionage concerns. Shortly after that request, Stanford announced that 4 students and 2 recent graduates had their visas revoked. While the two events aren’t confirmed to be linked, it’s hard to believe that they occurred in isolation.
While the administration has not invoked national security as justification for the deportations of Chinese nationals, it seems to be a strong possibility given the House’s recent letter to President Levin. In any case of deportation, the administration must present strong evidence that the deported individuals had clear links to the Chinese government’s espionage operations.
Yet the administration’s track record in this area has been extremely poor. During the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice’s “China Initiative” disproportionately targeted individuals of Chinese descent and came up with little to show in terms of actual prosecutions. Cases were frequently dropped for shoddy evidence and only a quarter ever ended up with convictions (usually for much lesser charges like wire fraud or making false statements).
Instead, these actions will only play to China’s advantage. One of the Chinese Communist Party’s biggest challenges today is “brain drain,” whereby the best talent leaves the country to go study, work, and settle abroad. Some of America’s most important industries like technology in Silicon Valley have been built by Chinese immigrants who have worked to enrich and strengthen this country. On a basic strategic level, blanket deportations of Chinese international students will only hurt U.S. interests long-term.
Whether it be unconstitutional, immoral, or strategically unsound, the Trump Administration’s recent deportations targeting international students are unequivocally wrong and should be reversed immediately.
