Washington: In a divisive action, the Trump administration has taken away the student visa of a Chinese graduate student attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for attending pro-Palestinian demonstrations on university grounds. Although the State Department withheld the student’s identify, social media found her to be Liu Lijun, arrested in May 2024 during university events connected to the Israel-Hamas war.
Under President Trump’s executive order issued on January 29, aimed to combat antisemitism on college campuses, Liu’s visa revocation is the first recorded incident. The decision gives federal agencies authority to investigate foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, perhaps leading to visa denials or deportations.
This development tracks the government’s decision to remove $400 million in federal support to Columbia University for neglecting to confront antisemitism. Political activity by overseas students is under investigation many other elite colleges including Harvard, NYU, and UCLA as well.
Critics of the crackdown contend it stifles nonviolent demonstrations, therefore sparking discussions on free speech and civil liberties. Congressman Jerry Nadler charged the government of running a “war on education and science” instead of really battling antisemitism. Trump and his followers, meanwhile, maintain that foreign students participating in action they consider to be radical or anti-American shouldn’t be let stay in the nation.
Given India’s leading worldwide student enrollment in the United States, questions over the possible effects on Indian students enrolled at institutions now under federal examination are growing.
