Washington, DC – A wave of visa revocations and deportations targeting international students in the United States has ignited a fierce debate over free speech and immigration policy, leaving thousands, including over 4,000 Singaporeans, grappling with uncertainty. The crackdown, intensified under President Donald Trump’s administration since his inauguration in January 2025, has focused on students linked to campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza, prompting accusations of a deliberate campaign to silence dissent.
A Growing Climate of Fear
The US has long been a beacon for international students, promising not only world-class education but also the freedom to engage in open debate. However, recent actions by the Trump administration have cast a shadow over that legacy. On March 27, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that over 300 student and visitor visas had been revoked due to foreign policy views or alleged criminal activities. This follows a series of arrests, including that of Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian student and legal permanent resident at Columbia University, detained at his home on March 8.
For many Singaporean students, the threat of deportation has become a daily concern. One student at Columbia University, a hub for pro-Palestinian protests, spoke anonymously due to fear of reprisal. “It has made me feel that no one is safe” he said. “It feels like, at any point, they can make arbitrary decisions that affect your immigration status in a way that hasn’t gone through meticulous review. That’s scary – because then you’re at the mercy not just of an administration, but of one person who may be out to get you for your ideas or speech.” 
Other international students, such as Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old South Korean at Columbia, have faced severe consequences. Her permanent residency was revoked on March 10 after her involvement in campus protests. Similarly, Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish Fulbright scholar in Boston, was detained on March 25 outside her home, a year after expressing support for Palestinians in a student newspaper op-ed. Though a judge has temporarily halted her deportation, the widely circulated video of her arrest by masked agents has sent shockwaves through student communities nationwide.
Executive Actions and Official Rhetoric
Since taking office, President Trump has made curbing campus protests a priority, citing concerns over rising anti-Semitism. On January 29, 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to investigate and penalize anti-Semitic activity at universities, including a review of federal grants to institutions deemed insufficient in addressing such incidents. In a statement accompanying the order, Trump declared, “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: Come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you.” He further vowed to “quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathisers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
The administration insists these measures are necessary to protect Jewish students. However, critics argue that the policies conflate legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, potentially infringing on free speech rights enshrined in the US Constitution. Legal experts and immigration attorneys warn that targeting individuals for their political expression may violate First Amendment protections, which should extend to legal immigrants as well.
“The First Amendment is the great promise of America – you can speak your mind regardless of who you are. And what they’re trying to do is take that voice away from students” said Charles Kuck, founder of Kuck Baxter, an immigration law firm in Atlanta. He added that the crackdown is likely to have a chilling effect on both citizens and immigrants, describing it as “meant to terrorise, and it’s working.”
Impact on Singaporean Students
For the more than 4,000 Singaporeans studying in the US, the once-celebrated image of America as a bastion of free speech has been tarnished. Many, speaking anonymously to avoid retribution, expressed frustration and disillusionment. “It’s ridiculous” said one Singaporean on a US work visa. “You are in a country that is supposed to be all about freedom of speech. They make such a fuss about how I have the right to say whatever I want, but now suddenly I don’t.”
Some have taken drastic measures to protect themselves, such as canceling international travel to avoid border detentions, carrying key documents at all times, or deleting social media accounts that could be scrutinized. A Singaporean green card holder with eight years in the US offered stark advice: “Just don’t say anything against the government. Coming from Singapore, that’s not too hard to do. Don’t post anything on social media. Adopt (an) apolitical mindset… That’s probably the best way to survive this.”
Others, however, still see value in the US experience despite the risks. Joshua Chin, a Singaporean studying finance at Carnegie Mellon University, acknowledged the deportations but maintained that the US remains a strong choice for students. “I came to America because I wanted to be in an environment where views can be shared freely, but when people take over campus buildings and actively disrupt the lives of those around them, things go too far” he said. He emphasized the unparalleled opportunities in the US economy and job market, noting that “US experience is the gold standard” on a resume.
A Broader Campaign?
Legal and academic voices suggest the visa revocations and deportations are part of a larger strategy to suppress dissent, particularly at universities, which have long been viewed with suspicion by Trump supporters. Professor Michael Jones-Correa of the University of Pennsylvania argued, “They are picking their targets carefully. Clearly, it’s a tool of intimidation about speech at an institution they mistrust and see as hostile. So in that sense, it’s part of a broader campaign against universities and immigrants.”
International students are particularly vulnerable, as their locations and routines are easily tracked through campus residency and mandatory reporting requirements. According to immigration attorney Charles Kuck, unlike undocumented immigrants who may evade detection for years, students are “easy deportation targets.” This vulnerability has been compounded by a March 25 cable from Secretary Rubio to US embassies, instructing diplomats to scrutinize the social media of visa applicants for signs of a “hostile attitude” toward the country, as reported by The New York Times. At a press conference on March 28, Rubio reiterated, “There is no right to a student visa. We can cancel a student visa under the law in the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate.”
Balancing Risks and Opportunities
As the crackdown continues, international students face a difficult calculus, weighing the economic and academic opportunities of studying in the US against the risk of visa revocation over their online activity or political views. For some long-term residents, the shifting landscape has led to a profound sense of disillusionment. A Singaporean who has lived in the US for three decades no longer recommends others follow her path. “Honestly, I would say don’t come now. It’s too upsetting. We don’t know what’s happening; it changes day to day” she said.
Official deportation figures under the Trump administration, reported by Axios, show 28,000 deportations in the first seven weeks of 2025, averaging 661 per day. While this is lower than the Biden-era average of over 700 daily deportations during a period of higher border crossings, the targeted nature of the current actions against students has amplified their impact on campus communities.
Looking Ahead
As the US government doubles down on its immigration policies, the ripple effects are being felt far beyond American borders, reshaping perceptions of the country as a destination for international education. For Singaporean students and others caught in the crosshairs, the question looms large: can the US reclaim its reputation as a haven for free expression, or will fear and silence become the new norm on its campuses?
