Trump’s immigration crackdown: Meet students, scholars detained or deported from US universities | World News

The Trump adminration has intensified its crackdown on immigrants, focussing on individuals in American universities, who have supported pro-Palestinian causes. President Donald Trump and other officials have accused protesters of being “pro-Hamas”.
The adminration has cited a rarely used statute allowing the secretary of state to revoke visas for noncitizens deemed a threat to foreign policy interests. More than half a dozen people have been detained or deported US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent weeks, as per AP.
Here’s a look at some of them:
Rumeysa Ozturk
Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021 (AP Photo)
Federal officers detained 30-year-old Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday in suburban Boston. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson alleged, without providing evidence, that Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas”,
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Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, co-authored an op-ed urging the university to reconsider its ties with Israel. She is currently held in an ICE detention centre in Louisiana. A US Drict judge in Massachusetts ruled Friday that she cannot be deported to Turkey without a court order and gave the government until Tuesday evening to respond to her lawyers’ updated complaint.
Ranjani Srinivasan
Ranjani Srinivasan was at Columbia University pursuing PhD (File photo)
Indian citizen and Columbia doctoral student Ranjani Srinivasan fled the US after immigration agents searched for her at her university residence. The Trump adminration revoked her visa, claiming she “advocated for violence and terrorism” though no evidence has been presented. Srinivasan denies the allegations, stating she did not organise campus protests. She opted to “self-deport”, says the US adminration
Mahmoud Khalil
Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment. (AP)
Palestinian activ and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident, was arrested earlier this month. The adminration revoked his green card, claiming his participation in campus protests constituted “antisemitic support for Hamas”.
Khalil, who negotiated with Columbia officials over student protests last year, is currently detained in Louisiana. His lawyers argue for his release and that his case should not be moved to Louisiana courts. A federal judge is yet to issue a decision.Story continues below this ad
Badar Khan Suri
Indian postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri. (Photo Credit: georgetown.edu)
Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri of Indian origin was arrested outside his Virginia home masked DHS agents on allegations of spreading Hamas propaganda. His lawyer claims Suri was targeted for his social media activity and his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech.”
Suri, who holds a valid scholar visa, is detained in Louisiana. His lawyers are pushing for his release and to halt deportation proceedings.
Momodou Taal
British-Gambian scholar Momodou Taal, a doctoral student at Cornell University (Photo: @MomodouTaal/ X)
Cornell University doctoral student Momodou Taal, a British-Gambian citizen, had his visa revoked after participating in campus demonstrations. The government alleges he was involved in “disruptive protests”. His lawyers argue his free speech rights were violated.
Taal has asked a federal judge to halt his detention while he contests the case. He declared in court, “I feel like a prisoner already, although all I have done is exercise my rights.”Story continues below this ad

Other students and scholars facing deportation
Hundreds rally in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, demanding the release of Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, arrested federal agents Tuesday night. (AP photo)
Columbia student Yunseo Chung, a lawful US resident from Korea, was arrested at a sit-in at Barnard College protesting student expulsions linked to pro-Palestinian activism. Leqaa Kordia, a Newark resident whom authorities identify as a Palestinian from the West Bank, was detained for allegedly overstaying her student visa.
University of Alabama doctoral student Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian national, was detained ICE after his student visa was revoked in 2023. His lawyer argues he remained eligible to stay in the US, but DHS claims he “posed significant national security concerns” without providing further details. Unlike others detained, there is no indication Doroudi was involved in political protests.
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside a Newark immigration court for Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil’s release. (AP photo)
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese kidney transplant special set to begin work as an assant professor at Brown University, was deported despite a federal judge’s order blocking her removal. DHS cited her “open admission” of following Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, though she inss it was for religious rather than political reasons.

Several cases in the US remain under legal review, with courts determining the fate of those detained.

(With inputs from AP)

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