Yes, We Can Deport Terrorism-Supporting Green Card Holders
11th March 2025
Last week, President Donald Trump began keeping yet another of his promises—this time, to deport foreign nationals who support terrorism.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department “revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions,” a department official told Fox News. “This individual was a university student. ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will proceed with removing this person from the country.”
As we’ve explained previously, federal law allows both the denial of admission to, and the deportation of, foreign nationals who support terrorism. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, “Any alien—who endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization … is inadmissible.”
If a student visa applicant is known to “endorse or espouse” terrorism, the consular officer interviewing him at a U.S. Embassy or consulate overseas should deny him a visa.
But what if a foreign student already obtained a visa, and it later comes to light that he espoused or endorsed terrorism? For example, in the case of a foreign student on a college campus protesting in favor of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel. In that case, the State Department can revoke his visa. That means that the Department of Homeland Security can then pursue his removal because, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, he would be deportable for the same reasons the visa was canceled. It also means he can’t return to the U.S. without getting a new visa, which would be very hard, given the revocation on file.