Over recent weeks, many international students in the US have watched a concerning pattern unfold on social media: plainclothes officers arriving without warning and taking students away in unmarked vehicles to detention centers.

These detained students, often seen in viral videos, have not been charged with any crimes.

Instead, they appear to be singled out for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses.

The Trump administration has long emphasized that visas are a privilege that can be withdrawn for many reasons.

However, the extent of the current crackdown appears broader than previously believed. According to Inside Higher Ed, over 1,000 international students or recent graduates across the country have either lost their visas or had their legal status altered.

In many cases, the exact reasons for visa revocation remain unclear. Universities often discover these changes only by checking the government database that monitors international student status, reports BBC.

The combination of targeted arrests and widespread visa cancellations has created an atmosphere of fear at institutions ranging from large public universities to elite Ivy League schools. "I could be next," said a Georgetown University student who has written about the Gaza conflict. He now carries a card outlining his constitutional rights in case he’s stopped by law enforcement. Another student in Texas said he avoids going outside, even for groceries.

Some academic departments have also been affected, as foreign researchers are now hesitant to return to the US. Most students interviewed by the BBC requested anonymity, fearing media exposure could put them at risk.

The BBC reached out to the Department of Education for comment.

While some visa cancellations are reportedly tied to criminal records or minor infractions like speeding, many of those targeted have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The crackdown is part of a broader White House effort against campus protests officials claim have endangered Jewish students and allegedly shown support for Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization.

Rubio stated in March, "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas. We do it every day."

Civil liberties groups have condemned the detentions and deportation efforts as unconstitutional. Students deny any connection to Hamas and argue they are being penalized for expressing political views on the Gaza war and US policy.

At Georgetown, signs reading “protect our students” now appear in bathroom stalls, reflecting growing unease despite the usual springtime blooms.

In one case, Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, was taken by federal agents outside his Virginia home in March. Homeland Security accused him of promoting antisemitism online and having ties to a “known or suspected terrorist”—a reference to his wife’s father, a former adviser to deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Suri’s legal team says he barely knows his father-in-law and is being targeted because of his wife's background.