Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear on Thursday that the U.S. will not tolerate foreign students who create disturbances on American campuses. Speaking from a press event in Guyana, Rubio defended the recent visa revocation of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and warned that anyone “creating a ruckus” could face the same consequences.

“I don’t care what movement you’re involved in,” Rubio stated. “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist.”

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Marco Rubio on Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish student who was detained:

“We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again.

Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to… pic.twitter.com/ysnncquYue

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 27, 2025

Ozturk’s visa was revoked after she wrote a March 2024 op-ed criticizing Tufts University’s financial ties to Israel and calling for divestment. While the op-ed did not explicitly endorse Hamas, it did refer to a “Palestinian genocide.” The Department of Homeland Security later determined that Ozturk had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” but has not publicly shared details of its findings.

Rubio compared Ozturk’s actions to those who “vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, [and] create a ruckus.” He defended the decision to remove her from the country, saying, “Every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn’t.”

He also issued a firm warning to others engaging in similar actions: “We’ll revoke your visa, and once your visa is revoked, you’re illegally in the country and you have to leave.”

According to Rubio, the U.S. has already revoked around 300 visas for individuals deemed to be disrupting the country. “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he said. “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them. But, we’re looking every day for these lunatics.”

SEC. RUBIO: "If you invite me into your home for dinner, & I go to your house & I start putting mud on your couch & spray-painting your kitchen, I bet you're going to kick me out."

"We're going to do the same thing if you come into the U.S. as visitor."

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/kxl0Qo3Vdk

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 27, 2025

Rubio further emphasized that this policy isn’t limited to students but also applies to gang members. He pointed to efforts to remove members of criminal organizations like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, who were initially detained at Guantánamo Bay before being sent to Venezuela and El Salvador.