THERE is panic in the United States after President Donald Trump cancelled nearly 1,500 visas, including those of Nigerian students currently in the country.

Economy Post learnt that theose affected are mainly protesters who participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations which erupted on campuses across the country in 2024. The protesters had demonstrated against Israel and its President, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, over the killings of defenceless civilians, including children and women, in Gaza.

Mr Trump claims that these students and demonstrators are spreading anti-Semitism and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus. This claim, however, has been refuted by students, lawyers and activists.

According to Inside Higher Ed, over 240 universities and colleges across the US have had student visas revoked. Students from Harvard, Stanford, Ohio State University and the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, including those from liberal arts colleges, are affected.

Aljazeera referenced American Immigration Lawyers Association’s count, which reported that more than 4,700 students had been removed from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement-maintained database known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS).

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“We are not going to be importing activists into the United States. They’re here to study. They’re here to go to class. They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities,” Rubio said on March 28.

Mr Mohammad Ali Syed, who leads an immigration practice group in Washington, DC, told Aljazeera that the revocations had raised some panic in the United States.

“This widespread action has led to legal challenges and raised concerns about due process and the impact on US higher education institutions,” said Syed.

“Students can file lawsuits in federal courts, asserting violations of due process and seeking to restore their legal status. For instance, students at Michigan universities have initiated legal actions against the Department of Homeland Security, alleging that their F-1 statuses were terminated without sufficient notice or explanation,” he said.

Executive director of Asian Law Caucus, Ms Aarti Kohli, revealed that South Asian students were affected by the cancellation but were too terrified to speak out.

“Due process has always been challenged for immigrants, but within this administration, we’ve seen a violation of rights that we’ve never seen before. The fact that immigrants are summarily disappearing to other countries, where their own families have no clue where they are,” she told Hindustan Times.

Nigerians are affected

One Nigerian in Ohio State University, who was affected and pleaded anonymity, told Economy Post that “she is finished,” noting that she would not return to Nigeria as that would “kill her parents if they find out that her visa was cancelled.”

“This is the height of human rights abuse. How can you cancell people’s visas and even order their arrests just because they protested?” she asked, noting that she would “fight to ensure this does not stand.”

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Another affected Nigerian student in the United of Maryland, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she was still shocked to learn of her fate, noting that a lot of Nigerians affected were afraid to speak.

“There are three Nigerian students I know who were also affected, but they are afraid to speak up. In fact, there is panic in some circles now because of the high level of uncertainty. How will someone come here to study only to have his or her visa revoked on the basis of his or her involvement in a protest? This is totally unaceptable,” he said.

Yet another Nigerian student in Harvard, who hails from a state in the South-West Nigeria, said it would be disastrous for her to return to Nigeria. She has contacted two human rights group to pursue her case in US courts.

“No, President Trump can’t violate my right to freedom of association and expect me to keep quiet,” he added.

Economy Post reported in November 2024 that Nogerians in the United States had set off panic alarms following the victory of the Mr Trump, in the presidential election.

Before the election, Mr Trump had said at a June 2024 campaign rally in Racine, Wisconsin, that “We’re going to have the largest deportation. We have no choice.”