Secretary of State Marco Rubio is no longer pulling punches—and if his recent exchange with Rep. Pramila Jayapal is any indication, he’s embracing the role of policy enforcer with zero tolerance for what he calls “radical crazies” entering the country under the guise of academic freedom.
The verbal showdown took place during a congressional hearing and centered around the controversial revocation of a student visa for Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen and recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts.
Ozturk had authored an op-ed accusing Israel of “genocide” and demanding American institutional divestment—language Rubio and others argue veers dangerously close to supporting Hamas and fomenting unrest.
Jayapal pressed Rubio hard, accusing him of trampling on constitutional rights and acting with authoritarian overreach. But Rubio didn’t flinch. Instead, he delivered a blunt defense of the administration’s right to revoke student visas for non-citizens whose actions are deemed detrimental to the country’s interests. “She was a guest in the United States on a student visa,” Rubio said. “No one is entitled to a student visa. We deny visas every day.”
Rubio 2.0 is truly him just not giving a crap anymore.
Watch this exchange with Jayapal. pic.twitter.com/MEY2bweiVH
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) May 21, 2025
Jayapal’s attempts to corner Rubio on Ozturk’s specific case were met with even more defiance. When she claimed the revocation was based solely on an op-ed and questioned the legality, Rubio responded without hesitation: “Yes, proudly.” Then he raised the stakes: “And we’re going to do more of them.”
This wasn’t just a defensive maneuver—it was a declaration of intent. Rubio made it clear that the administration is preparing to take further action against visa holders perceived to be stirring domestic instability, regardless of whether their methods are violent or ideological. In his view, fomenting support for groups like Hamas—even via pen and paper—constitutes grounds for removal.
And it wasn’t just about one case. Rubio turned the hearing into a broader indictment of the culture of permissiveness that he says has allowed radical ideologies to thrive in American institutions under the pretense of free expression. “I’m looking to get crazy people out of our country,” he said at one point, brushing aside Jayapal’s objections with surgical confidence.
The larger question looms: What is the role of a student visa in modern America? Rubio has made it clear—it’s not a pass to critique, disrupt, or advocate for America’s enemies on American soil. His critics argue that this approach sets a dangerous precedent, conflating dissent with sedition. But Rubio’s camp believes it’s long overdue to tighten the screws on a system too easily exploited by those hostile to American values.
