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Harvard is cautioning international students about travel and protest participation amid heightened visa scrutiny under the current administration. This warning comes as part of a recent “Know Your Rights” webinar featuring key university officials.

During the session, Harvard Representation Initiative Staff Attorney Jason Corral emphasized increased risks for foreign students participating in demonstrations. “The difference is we have seen situations where it seems as though people’s visas are being revoked” due to protests, he noted.

International students were advised to evaluate their digital footprints, including social media posts and academic work, before traveling. “If you have a bunch of photos on your phone that suggest something that may be contrary to what they deem as a foreign policy interest and a reason for why they’re revoking these student visas — pictures of protests or something like that — that could go into their discretionary decision-making too,” Corral explained.

The webinar discussion followed a recent notification from the Harvard International Office about visa revocations affecting three current students and two alumni. The office acknowledged its limited information about these cases, which were discovered during routine record checks.

Harvard’s student newspaper reported that pro-Palestine activism has been linked to many visa cancellations, though some revocations stemmed from minor infractions like traffic violations. Universities typically learn about these situations through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), rather than direct notification.

Maureen Martin, Harvard International Office Director of Immigration Services, assured students that regular SEVIS monitoring had revealed no concerning patterns. “We’re checking SEVIS on a regular basis for that kind of thing, and we haven’t seen anything troublesome yet,” she stated during the webinar.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently confirmed the scope of these measures, stating, “Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.” He further added, “I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

While affected students can remain in the U.S. while enrolled in courses, some face terminated legal residency and potential deportation. Martin expressed frustration with the situation, stating, “It’s unfortunate we even have to have a session like this.”

Though Harvard hasn’t reported any immigration-related arrests among its student body, the university hasn’t specified its response protocol for such situations. Recent events at Columbia University saw graduates destroying their diplomas in protest of the administration’s cooperation with authorities in detaining former student Mahmoud Khalil, known for leading anti-Israel demonstrations.