Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) engaged in a tense exchange on Wednesday, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, centered on the revocation of student visas for non-citizens allegedly involved in disruptive campus protests and expressing pro-Hamas sentiments.
Rubio stated he “proudly” revoked visas from those who “stir up problems,” asserting that a student visa is a “privilege, not a right.”
The confrontation escalated as Rep. Jayapal accused Secretary Rubio of infringing upon the First Amendment rights of students by revoking visas based on their speech and participation in campus encampments.
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“Where in the Constitution does it say that the Secretary of State can override the First Amendment protections of free speech?” Jayapal questioned. “Is there a footnote that I missed somewhere?”
Rubio countered, “There is no constitutional right to a student visa. A student visa is a privilege… There’s a statute which says the Secretary of State gets to determine whether someone is a threat.”
He emphasized the State Department’s ongoing role in visa denials globally, stating, “We deny visas everyday all over the world and we’ll continue [to do so].” The Secretary maintained that visas can be stripped from individuals intending to “tear [the U.S.] apart.”
The case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national and Tufts University student, became a focal point. Jayapal alleged Ozturk’s visa was revoked due to an op-ed she wrote expressing support for Palestine.
Rubio denied this was solely due to the op-ed, classifying Ozturk as a “guest” without an inherent right to study in the U.S. “If someone’s coming here to stir up problems on our campus, we’re gonna [revoke] their visa.
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They’re guests,” Rubio asserted, adding, “Yes, proudly, and we’ll do more… I’m looking to get crazy people out of our country.”
Reports indicate that at the time of Ozturk’s arrest, Rubio had told reporters that individuals involved in “vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings [and] creating a ruckus” would not be permitted to stay in the U.S.
During the hearing, Jayapal also attempted to draw a parallel between the pro-Palestine students facing visa revocations and South African refugees.
Rubio dismissed the comparison, explaining that refugees are admitted to the U.S. through an entirely different process and are not in the country on student visas.
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He had previously responded to Jayapal’s query about an Afrikaner refugee who allegedly made antisemitic remarks by stating that refugee admissions are distinct from visa adjudications, while reiterating his commitment to revoking the visas of “any lunatics.”
This recent exchange follows earlier statements from the Secretary of State. On March 28, 2025, Rubio announced that the administration was revoking visas of “lunatics” involved in prolonged campus encampments that reportedly led to Jewish students feeling unsafe.
At that time, he confirmed over 300 visas had already been revoked. A notable case has been that of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student whose visa was revoked following his participation in anti-Israel encampments, a move that drew criticism from anti-Trump activists and left-leaning media.
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