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‘Catch and Revoke’ program uses AI to look for evidence of ‘alleged terrorist sympathies’ on social media

President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked more than 300 student visas in the last three weeks following the launch of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “Catch and Revoke” program.

“We do it every day,” Rubio said at a Thursday press conference in Guyana, Axios reported. “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.”

It “might be more than 300 at this point,” he said.  A senior Justice Department official had previously confirmed this number with Axios.

Further, an official told the outlet that “The Trump administration is discussing plans to try to block certain colleges from having any foreign students if it decides too many are ‘pro-Hamas.’”

An official also told Axios that the “Catch and Revoke” program uses AI to review the social media accounts of student visa holders. Officials are looking for evidence of “alleged terrorist sympathies expressed after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel,” the outlet reported.

According to the official, there were “literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration … which suggests a blind eye attitude toward law enforcement.”

This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a Ph.D. student at the University of Alabama and another at Tufts University in Massachusetts after revoking their visas.

ICE agents approached Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen, on the street. Security camera footage shows the agents arresting her and putting her in an unmarked car, The Guardian reported.

“DHS and Ice investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.

“A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security,” the spokesperson said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, however, condemned “the abduction of a young Muslim hijab-wearing scholar by masked federal agents in broad daylight,” in a statement Wednesday.

“This alarming act of repression is a direct assault on free speech and academic freedom,” the advocacy group stated.

ICE has also detained Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian Columbia University graduate student, causing outrage from free speech groups and Democratic politicians, The College Fix previously reported.

Similarly, officials detained Palestinian activists Badar Suri at Georgetown University and Yunseo Chung at Columbia University. However, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting both students.

Meanwhile, academic organizations in the U.S. filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration to stop the deportation of international students.

MORE: Immigration expert says US can deport anti-Israel Columbia student

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: U.S. visa document with symbol showing cancelation; AlxeyPnferov/Canva Pro

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