Trump admin’s new visa rule could squeeze out anti-Israel student activists, experts say

A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule limiting the duration of foreign student visas could impact anti-Israel activists, according to experts. The rule, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, replaces the 50-year-old "duration of status" system, which he stated "compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud." The new regulation limits most foreign students and exchange visitors to four years in the U.S., with a reduced grace period of 30 days for leaving the country, transferring schools, or changing immigration status.

"The overwhelming majority of international students are exactly what they say they are, and a student who comes here to study will graduate inside four years without ever noticing this rule exists," said Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center. "But the perpetual activist on his seventh year of loosely defined coursework will notice it, and that is rather the point."

While not its primary purpose, experts like Simon Hankinson of the Heritage Foundation believe the rule "probably would help cut down on antisemitic protests on college campuses." Jay Greene of the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies added that the rule discourages foreigners from extending their stay by delaying degree completion and aims to reduce the use of student visas by foreign entities to "plant agents and activists who remain indefinitely on college campuses to advance foreign political agendas."