Liu Lijun, a Chinese graduate student at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), would have revoked her student visa after organizing pro-Palestine gatherings on the campus.
Liu was arrested in May 2024 during demonstrations linked to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7, 2023.
According to the Telegraph India, the revocation of the Liu visa follows an executive decree signed by American president Donald Trump, who aims to fight against anti -Semitism in response to the conflict. The order focuses on what Trump administration has described as an increase in anti -Semitism through American campuses and communities. A key provision of the order threatens to cancel visas for international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, in particular those who have links with Hamas.
🚨breaking: the Chinese national who organizes pro-Palestine rallies at the UCLA, Liu Lijun, has just revoked his visa
Trump’s administrator does not play. pic.twitter.com/ddozrjze6n
– West inevitable (@inevitablewest) January 31, 2025
The case of Liu is one of the first cases of revocation of the visa under the new policy. The executive decree orders federal agencies, including education, state and internal security, develop recommendations on how to monitor and report the activities of foreign students and staff involved in such demonstrations. In addition, these agencies are required to provide the White House with recommendations within 60 days on the legal tools available to combat anti -Semitism.
Liu was one of the hundreds of UCLA students participating in demonstrations against the military actions of Israel in Gaza. The demonstrations increased at the beginning of May 2024, when the security forces made a descent into a solidarity camp where nearly 400 demonstrators had gathered. According to the protest organizers, more than 100 people were injured during the raid, some requiring hospital treatment. The police used flash-bangs and batons to disperse the crowd.
President Trump’s decision to revoke the Liu visa aligns with his wider efforts to limit pro-Palestinian activism, especially among international students. He referred to the people involved in demonstrations such as “resident foreigners” and warned that they could face the expulsion by 2025. This has raised concerns that the general language of the order could Be used to target students who engage in peaceful manifestations without breaking the law.
The Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the decree, arguing that it violates the rights of the first amendment. Cair stressed the importance of protecting freedom of expression, declaring that these rights should not be compromised by executive action.
