US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at combating antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Trump administration promised "immediate action" by the Justice Department to address what it described as "an explosion of antisemitism on campuses and streets" across the US.
The order threatens visa cancellations for international students involved in pro-Palestine activism on campuses.
Following this order, the US has reportedly revoked the visa of Liu Lijun, a Chinese student at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) who was arrested in May 2024 for organising pro-Palestine rallies.
Liu will likely be deported to China following the executive order which calls for a federal crackdown on campus antisemitism.
This case is one of the first instances of visa revocation under this new policy.
The executive order directs the federal Education, State, and Homeland Security departments to develop recommendations within two months to “monitor and report activities by alien students and staff”.
The order requires agency and department leaders to provide the White House with recommendations within 60 days on all criminal and civil authorities that could be used to fight antisemitism, according to the fact sheet.
A fact sheet on the order read Trump’s statement, which is, "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,".
"I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before," the US President added.
The Los Angeles Times reported that activists in California, home to some of the largest student demonstrations, are on high alert following Trump’s order.
Lijun was among hundreds of protesters at UCLA demonstrating against Israel’s war on Gaza. The protests escalated in early May when law enforcement raided a solidarity encampment, where nearly 400 peaceful demonstrators had gathered.
The police used flash-bangs and batons to forcibly disperse the students.
According to protest organizers cited by Al Jazeera, over 100 people were injured in the attack, some of whom required hospitalisation.
Now, Liu’s deportation is part of a broader suppression of pro-Palestine activism on US campuses.
The first major student protest began at Columbia University, where demonstrators set up an encampment to oppose Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The movement soon spread to other universities, including UCLA.
Following 15 months of war, Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire deal in January 2025. The agreement included the release of hostages and a temporary halt in hostilities.
Trump’s decision to revoke Liu’s visa aligns with his campaign promises to crack down on pro-Palestinian activism, particularly by noncitizens.
Trump called them ‘resident aliens’ in the executive order.
Many fear that the broad language in the order could be used to target any international student involved in protests, regardless of whether they engaged in unlawful activities.
Liu’s case has become emblematic of the growing tensions between student activism and government crackdowns.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned the Trump administration’s executive order.
"Free speech is a cornerstone of our Constitution that no president can wipe away with an executive order”, CAIR said in a news release.
