Washington, March 10 US Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said Monday that foreign visitors in the United States — including students on college campuses — must obey American laws or risk losing the right to remain in the country.
Speaking in an interview to The Brief, Dhillon said that authorities should enforce strict rules when visitors violate the law or engage in disruptive behavior on campuses.
“Visitors in America must follow the law, especially on college campuses— or leave,” she said. “The Justice Department has zero tolerance for violence or hate against students and will defend their civil rights,” the Indian-American attorney said in a social media post.
Her remarks come amid continuing tensions at several US universities following protests linked to the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel and the broader Middle East conflict.
Referring to unrest on American campuses, Dhillon said there had been serious concerns about antisemitism and disruptive protests at leading universities.
“There's almost certainly quite a bit of that at our Ivy League institutions today, vis-à-vis the antisemitism and the October 7th, 2023, disruption and agitation on our campuses.”
She said that authorities should adopt a strict approach when visitors violate the law.
“And we should have a zero tolerance policy for that,” she said. “If you're a guest in this country, and Marco Rubio has said this much more eloquently than I just did, you don't have a right to break our laws or disrupt our campuses.”
Dhillon emphasized that foreign nationals entering the United States do so as guests and must respect the country’s legal framework.
“You're a guest. You're a visitor. You can't come in and put your dirty feet up on the couch and expect to be greeted warmly,” she said.
She added that the United States has the right, like any other country, to enforce its laws and control who is allowed to stay.
“And so it's entirely appropriate for our country, just like all other countries do, to police its borders by saying, if you're not going to follow our laws, you can get out,” Dhillon said.
Dhillon also suggested that some countries enforce such rules more strictly.
“And other countries do a much better job of this than we do,” she said. “And so certainly when someone is convicted of a crime, they lose their right to stay in this …”
Her remarks highlight an ongoing political debate in the United States over campus protests, immigration enforcement, and the responsibilities of foreign students studying in American universities.
Large demonstrations erupted across several campuses after the Israel–Hamas war began in October 2023. The protests triggered sharp responses from lawmakers and federal officials, with many calling for stronger action against antisemitism while also raising concerns about free speech protections.
International students form a major part of the US higher education system, with more than one million foreign students enrolled in American universities. Their presence contributes significantly to academic research, innovation and the US economy, while visa rules require them to comply with federal and campus regulations.