Marco Rubio Tells Dem Rep He ‘Proudly’ Revoked Student Visas From Those Who ‘Stir Up Problems’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Democrat Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Wednesday that he “proudly” revoked student visas from non-citizens who “stir up problems” during a tense exchange.

Jaypal accused Rubio of violating the First Amendment of U.S. Constitution by revoking visas from students who spewed pro-Hamas beliefs and built encampments on college campuses across the U.S. The Secretary of State stated that a person’s student visa is a privilege, not a right, and thus can be stripped from them if they plan to “tear apart.”

“Where in the Constitution does it say that the Secretary of State can override the First Amendment protections of free speech?” Jayapal asked. “Is there a footnote that I missed somewhere?”

“There is no constitutional right to a student visa. A student visa is a privilege … There’s a statute which says the Secretary of State gets to determine whether someone is a threat,” Rubio said. “We deny visas everyday all over the world and we’ll continue .”

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Jayapal claimed that Rubio revoked the visa of Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk, who wrote an op-ed showing clear support for Palestine in Tufts University’s newspaper. At the time of her arrest, Rubio told reporters that anyone who wishes to participate in movements involve “vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings creating a ruckus” will not be allowed to remain in the U.S.

Rubio denied the Democrat congresswoman’s accusation that he revoked her visa simply because he did not like her op-ed. He stated that Ozturk is a “guest” in the U.S. who does not have an inherent right to study in the nation.