Marco Rubio proposes deporting foreign students who participate in antisemitic university protests

In mid-April, beginning at Columbia University, antisemitic student protests broke out on a variety of university campuses. From the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California at Los Angeles, protesters camped, vandalized and prevented the normal functioning of their respective educational institutions. In this context, Senator Marco Rubio brought a proposal to the Biden administration to penalize foreign students who have participated.

The proposal of the Florida Republican, who is on Donald Trump’s final list to be his running mate in November, consists of canceling visas and deporting foreign students who have been part of the protests, alleging that “those individuals in the United States who espouse opinions in support of foreign terrorist organizations, they are violating your visa.”

The senator sent his initiative to Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State.

“For those international students who defied university orders and police instruction in favor of pro-terrorist views, you should face immediate expulsion from that institution and from our generous country. Without asking them questions,” Rubio said in a statement.

“Let me be absolutely clear: supporting a designated foreign terrorist organization is grounds for visa cancellation and immediate removal from the United States. As protesters who support terrorists continue to be arrested, I urge you to ensure that those who are in our country on visas are subject to expedited deportation procedures,” he added.

In his letter, the Republican reminded the aforementioned officials that universities hosting foreign students are obliged to report their disciplinary actions to the SEVIS portal, used by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State.

Rubio for vice president?

As reported in April, Rubio is among Trump’s finalists for his vice presidential candidate in the presidential election, competing with J.D. Vance, Tim Scott and Doug Burgum.

However, if the senator from Florida is elected, he would have to change his residence since, according to the 12th Amendment, the candidates for president and vice president cannot reside in the same state.

Can Rubio move states and still represent Florida in the Senate? The answer is also found in the Constitution. It turns out that, to be elected senator, a citizen must be a resident of the state they aspire to represent, although nothing prevents them from moving once in office. Therefore, if Trump opts for Rubio, he will have to move out of state to be able to compete in November.

If Trump and Rubio take the White House in November, Governor Ron DeSantis would have to elect Rubio’s replacement until the end of his term, in this case, January 2029.