In a sweeping crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on university campuses, the US government has revoked the visas of over 300 international students in the past three weeks.

The students, holding F1, M1, and J1 visas, received emails informing them of their visa cancellations and instructing them to self-deport via the CBP Home App.

The initiative, spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, employs AI technology to monitor and identify foreign students suspected of expressing support for Hamas or other designated terror groups. According to reports, AI-assisted reviews of social media activity have been instrumental in the revocation process, targeting students who participated in protests or engaged with related online content.

Rubio, who has led this surveillance program, stated on March 27, “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve got rid of all of them,” while urging other nations to adopt similar measures.

Under this policy shift, federal authorities have scanned over 100,000 profiles in the Student Exchange Visitor System since October 2023, leading to an uptick in visa cancellations. The new approach departs from previous norms, where student visa holders were typically allowed to remain in the US under the “Duration of Status” (D/S) policy.

Former President Donald Trump has also echoed Rubio’s stance, warning on January 30 that foreign nationals who participated in “pro-jihadist protests” would be deported.

The crackdown has raised alarm among civil rights advocates. Abed Ayoub, head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, warned that the measures threaten free speech and First Amendment rights. “This is a dangerous precedent,” he said.

With the US hosting over 1.1 million international students, including 330,000 from India, the use of AI-driven surveillance for visa revocation signals a significant shift in immigration enforcement and campus security policies.