Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued that student protesters who support the Hamas terrorist group ought to have their visas revoked.
Rubio’s suggestion comes as many college campuses have seen protests in support of Palestine disrupt communities, leaving foreign students concerned they could lose their visas if they are suspended for participating in these protests. The Florida senator said students with a visa are not residents of the United States, and should be attending school instead of protesting in support of Hamas.
“If you are here in this country as a visitor on a visa, and you are defacing statues of George Washington, ripping down American flags, putting up Palestinian flags, you should have your visa revoked and eliminated,” Rubio said on Fox News Sunday.
The Florida senator’s call for protesters getting their visas revoked mirrored a suggestion Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) made in April, when he said students participating in antisemitic protests ought to be deported. Cotton explained that these students have “no right to be here spewing antisemitic and anti-Israel filth.”
Rubio added the “zombies” and “antisemitic left-wing nut cases” are committing acts of violence and vandalism through their protests, and criticized President Joe Biden for not taking a serious line against the protesters and their support for Hamas. Rubio suspected Biden’s reasoning for not taking a serious stand against the protesters is out of fear of losing their support ahead of the 2024 election.
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Rubio is one of several politicians suspected to be on former President Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice president, with other potential candidates including of Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). When asked about being Trump’s vice president, Rubio dismissed the rumors as speculation, and said that only one person could choose to be Trump’s vice president, that being the former president himself.
In a Sunday appearance on television, Cotton suggested the campus protests happening across the country will help Trump in the upcoming presidential election, as Trump is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party.
