Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to deport student protesters. In recent weeks, the president has delivered on that pledge. The Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international students' visas across the country, spreading fear on college campuses and inviting constitutional challenges from lawyers and activists. Eric Lee, an immigration lawyer, says the administration’s actions are unconstitutional. One of his clients, Momodou Taal, a Cornell University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, recently decided to leave the United States rather than face detention and deportation. What’s happening, Lee says, is a threat to the free speech rights of citizens and noncitizens alike.
Related Reading:
Tracking Trump’s Actions on Student Visas (chronicle.com/article/tracking-trumps-actions-on-student-visas?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l1)
Pro-Palestinian Activists Shut Down a Job Fair. One Student’s Punishment Could Get Him Deported. (chronicle.com/article/pro-palestinian-activists-shut-down-a-campus-job-fair-one-students-punishment-could-get-him-deported?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l2)
Trump has Revoked Student Visas at Dozens of Colleges. Here’s What That Means. (chronicle.com/article/trump-has-revoked-student-visas-at-dozens-of-colleges-heres-what-that-means?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l3)
Guest:
Eric Lee, (https://x.com/ericleeatty?lang=en) immigration lawyer
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to deport student protesters. In recent weeks, the president has delivered on that pledge. The Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international students' visas across the country, spreading fear on college campuses and inviting constitutional challenges from lawyers and activists. Eric Lee, an immigration lawyer, says the administration’s actions are unconstitutional. One of his clients, Momodou Taal, a Cornell University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, recently decided to leave the United States rather than face detention and deportation. What’s happening, Lee says, is a threat to the free speech rights of citizens and noncitizens alike.
Related Reading:
Tracking Trump’s Actions on Student Visas (chronicle.com/article/tracking-trumps-actions-on-student-visas?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l1)
Pro-Palestinian Activists Shut Down a Job Fair. One Student’s Punishment Could Get Him Deported. (chronicle.com/article/pro-palestinian-activists-shut-down-a-campus-job-fair-one-students-punishment-could-get-him-deported?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l2)
Trump has Revoked Student Visas at Dozens of Colleges. Here’s What That Means. (chronicle.com/article/trump-has-revoked-student-visas-at-dozens-of-colleges-heres-what-that-means?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-student-visas&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=25-04-22-slnk-e028-l3)
Guest:
Eric Lee, (https://x.com/ericleeatty?lang=en) immigration lawyer
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
