Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his views on Sunday regarding the Trump administration’s actions against Hamas supporters in the U.S.
On X, Rubio shared a link to a report about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian Arab graduate student who played a prominent role in last year’s anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio wrote.
Khalil’s arrest is part of the Trump administration’s promise to expel international students involved in anti-Israel protests. U.S. officials have stated that those who took part in these campus demonstrations essentially forfeited their right to stay in the country by aligning with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
This development also follows the Trump administration’s decision two days prior to revoke $400 million in federal funding due to Columbia University’s handling of antisemitism.
The funding cuts were a result of a recent “comprehensive review” of Columbia’s federal grants, conducted by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice (DOJ), Education (DoE), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The agencies referenced an ongoing investigation by the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which is looking into whether Columbia violated the Civil Rights Act by not addressing the harassment of Jewish students.
“For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. “Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”
Columbia University has faced increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on its campus following the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
In April of last year, pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up numerous tents, demanding that the university divest from Israeli assets. The university administration called the police to remove the encampments.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers from the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, entering the building through a second-story window, and arrested dozens of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
In August, three deans at Columbia University resigned after it was revealed they had exchanged “very troubling” text messages that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”
Recently, the university has seen a surge in anti-Israel activity. In January, a group of anti-Israel students disrupted an Israeli history class by banging drums, chanting “Free Palestine,” and handing out flyers depicting a boot stomping on a Star of David.
These students were later expelled, leading to protests at Barnard College. The demonstrations escalated when protesters took over the Barnard College library, resulting in several arrests.
Former Columbia University President Dr. Minouche Shafik resigned last summer after facing months of criticism for her handling of campus antisemitism.
{Matzav.com}

The post Rubio Clarifies: We Will Be Revoking the Visas of Hamas Supporters first appeared on Matzav.com.