well at least three New Jersey universities are now among a list of others around the country where international student visas are being revoked according to higher ed leaders the action by the White House is happening without reason or warning but comes amid speculation it's related to participation or believed participation in pro Palestinian protests or other minor infractions as senior correspondent Joanna Gaggis reports many say it's had a chilling effect on the college community the Trump administration has unilaterally gone into the database that tracks student visas and revoked visas throughout the past week international students at colleges and universities across New Jersey and the nation have learned that their visa status has been revoked ruckers Rowan and Montlair State Universities have had about two dozen students affected so far and the reason that's being provided to them is is very vague almost to the point of uh not really any information explaining why at all like the deportation case of Columbia University's Makmoud Khalil US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the revocations as being tied to students participating in pro Palestinian protests on college campuses but I think being a supporter of Hamas and coming into our universities and turning them upside down and being complicit in what are clearly crimes of vandalization complicit in shutting down learning institutions if you told us that's what you intended to do when you came to America we would have never let you in and if you and if you do it once you get in we're going to revoke it and kick you out but immigration attorneys here say this action has created a drag net pulling in students with no connection to those protests they're having as little as speeding ticket or even parking violations or running a red light these students are not facing criminal charges and in many cases have not faced university disciplinary procedures these are entirely arbitrary no due process is being followed for any of the students that we've seen revocations for what would due process look like if the government had legitimate concern that one or more of these students were engaging in behavior that perhaps was supportive of terrorist group or against the national interests as we've heard the administration say due process minimally would require an announcement of the complaints against the student and some procedure through which the student could uh both be made aware of what they're being accused of and potentially present their own narrative of the facts of whatever the situation was assembly Higher Education Committee member Jerry Sharfenberger has been outspoken in support of Jewish families who told him they're fearful after experiencing dangerous activity during the campus protest last year although no criminal charges were filed I would hope that they would have a fair process where they would be able to you know understand why they're being questioned in the first place and why a determination has been made one way or the other i think and I think that may come at some point again you have to take it with a grain of salt there's two sides you don't know where it is in the process you want fairness for everybody but the rights of Americans and the rights of uh students here to be free from any dangerous situation I think Trump uh supersedes everything and while Assemblyman Sharenburgger thinks we'll get more clarity as the process plays out immigration attorney John Lech shares a more sinister take on the action a lot of people have had concerns that the government is actually using this to try to suppress freedom of speech and to suppress certain political speech in particular uh political speech uh in support of or in solidarity with uh the people of Gaza in Palestine rucker University student body president Jack Ramirez says he did hear language that was concerning on the New Brunswick campus were there incidences of anti-semitism that I was aware of 100% i I mean some of this language that was across campus was was grotesque there was also just as much as there was anti-semitism there was anti-Palestinian hate on our campus we need to ensure that you know everybody has a right to speak everybody has a right to feel safe on campus but that he says can never be confused with limiting free speech everybody has a right to speech and expression when they come into this country it's what makes us great it's what the founders really wanted uh when they envisioned this country and so that's what higher education is about some students facing revocation have filed restraining orders and other complaints through the courts several of the New Jersey schools are helping students connect with legal representation for NJ Spotlight News I'm Joanna Gagas [Music]