The visa of a Chinese national, who was arrested in May 2024 for organising pro-Palestine rallies at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has been revoked, according to media reports.
The protestor, Liu Lijun, will be sent back to China, reports suggest.
The development comes after an executive order from President Donald Trump promoting a federal crackdown on campus antisemitism and his threats to cancel visas of pro-Palestinian international students. This has put California university activists on alert after many of the nation's largest and most contentious protests unfolded at their schools, according to Los Angeles Times.
The order called on the federal government to "prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful antisemitic harassment and violence" on college campuses and directs the federal Education, State and Homeland Security departments in the next two months to develop "recommendations for familiarizing institutions" with how to "monitor and report activities by alien students and staff” that would potentially qualify them for visa revocation.
According to LA Times, it cites federal law that bars noncitizens from being in the US if they support terrorism. However, it does not explicitly equate pro-Palestinian protesters with supporters of Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist organization.
The move follows Trump's campaign promises to expel pro-Palestinian protesters who do not hold US citizenship.
UCLA protests
Liu Lijun was among hundreds of protestors who were demonstrating against Israel’s war on Gaza. After a tense standoff earlier in May, US police in riot gear launched a raid on an encampment filled with about 400 peaceful protesters forcing them to disperse with flash-bangs and batons.
The raid took place one night after the Palestinian solidarity encampment was attacked by a violent pro-Israel mob. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, and some were admitted to hospital, according to the protest organisers, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Gaza protests at US universities
Columbia was the first university to see a major pro-Palestinian encampment form on campus, and among the first to be accused of antisemitism. The protests then spread to a dozen universities. Students were arrested at campuses in Los Angeles, California and in Atlanta, Georgia. In Austin, Texas, the governor ordered state troopers to arrest protesters.
They protested against Israel’s occupation against Gaza, where military offensive killed thousands and the blockade led to starvation. Israel attacked Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities on the other side of the Gaza border wall, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages on October 7, 2023.
Hamas and Israel reached a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza in January 2025. The deal included a release of hostages held during 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the Palestinian enclave and inflamed the Middle East.
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