Secretary of State Marco Rubio took aim at foreign students who come to the United States on a student visa only to do "crazy things" on campus, asserting that the administration continues to crack down on these "lunatics."
Rubio said a student visa is not "some sort of birthright."
Rubio made the remarks during President Donald Trump's Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
"If you come to this country as a student, we expect you to go to class and study and get a degree. If you come here to, like, vandalize a library, take over a campus, and do all kinds of crazy things, you know, we're going to get rid of these people," Rubio said. "So when we identify lunatics like these, we take away their student visa."
Rubio said late last month that the State Department had, at that point, revoked more than 300 student visas of foreign students who participate in actions such as "vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus," among other things, like voicing support for Hamas terrorists in Gaza or antisemitic speech.
"No one's entitled to a student visa. The press covers student visas like they're some sort of birthright," Rubio added. "No, a student visa is like me inviting you into my home. If you come into my home and put all kinds of crap on my couch, I'm going to kick you out of my house."
Rubio's remarks come amid reports that 300 foreign students in recent days alone have had their student visas revoked.
The White House defends the revocations under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act.
"It's a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that basically states that, for whatever reason, that if we think you're not compliant, we can make you deportable," immigration lawyer Jamie Barron told CBS News. "It could be, for example, an argument with a roommate, a fight, a DWI, a theft charge, or maybe they did a protest, which is freedom of speech, but they consider it may be harmful for the country."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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