International students in the United States are now under unprecedented scrutiny, with even minor traffic violations—such as speeding—potentially triggering visa cancellations. According to the Associated Press, several top US universities have reported a sharp rise in visa revocations since late March, many involving Indian students.

Institutions like Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, the University of Michigan, and Ohio State were reportedly blindsided, discovering cancellations only through immigration databases. While some assumed links to pro-Palestinian protests might be behind the trend, many affected students had no protest involvement. Instead, infractions as trivial as old traffic tickets, or even online support for Gaza-related causes, have prompted action.

Federal agencies have intensified background checks, scouring social media for posts seen as expressing “terrorist sympathies.” Axios reports that a machine learning tool dubbed “Catch and Revoke” is flagging users who like or share pro-Hamas content. The Department of State is now aggressively monitoring student behavior, both offline and online.

One Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan, a PhD candidate at Columbia, was forced to leave the US for Canada after her visa was suddenly cancelled. In another case, Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University student, was detained based on unproven allegations of antisemitic speech and terrorist links, which he denies.

The directive reportedly came after a March 25 order from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who confirmed over 300 visa revocations tied to online speech. Rubio stated bluntly, “Anyone engaging in pro-Hamas rhetoric will face consequences.”

This wave of cancellations has sparked alarm among students, with fears that arbitrary enforcement is chilling free speech on campus.