Foreign Visitors Must Follow U.S. Laws or Leave, Justice Department Official Says
WASHINGTON — U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said Monday that foreign visitors in the United States, including international students on college campuses, must follow American laws or risk losing their right to remain in the country.
Speaking in an interview with The Brief, Dhillon said authorities should enforce strict consequences when visitors violate the law or engage in disruptive behavior, particularly at universities.
“Visitors in America must follow the law, especially on college campuses— or leave,” she said. “TheJusticeDept 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 comments come amid ongoing tensions at several U.S. universities following protests linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and the wider Middle East conflict.
Dhillon said concerns had emerged about antisemitism and disruptive demonstrations at prominent universities, including Ivy League institutions.
“There’s almost certainly quite a bit of that at our Ivy League institutions today, vis-a-vis the anti-Semitism and the October 7th, 2023, disruption and agitation on our campuses,” she said.
She called for a strict approach toward visitors who break the law.
“And we should have a zero tolerance policy for that,” Dhillon 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 system.
“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, like other countries, has the authority to enforce its laws and determine who is allowed to remain in the country.
“And so it’s entirely appropriate for our country, just like all other countries do, police their borders by saying, if you’re not going to follow our laws, you can get out,” Dhillon said.
Dhillon also suggested that some nations enforce such policies more strictly than the United States.
“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 come amid an ongoing political debate over campus protests, immigration enforcement, and the responsibilities of international students studying in the United States.
Large demonstrations erupted across many campuses after the Israel–Hamas war began in October 2023, prompting strong responses from lawmakers and federal officials. Some have called for tougher action against antisemitism while others have raised concerns about protecting free speech on campuses.
International students make up a significant part of the U.S. higher education system, with more than one million foreign students enrolled at American universities. Their presence contributes to research, innovation, and the broader U.S. economy, while visa regulations require them to comply with federal and campus rules. (Source: IANS)
