SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Dozens of college and university campuses across the country reported the federal government has revoked hundreds of international student visas, including at least three campuses in San Diego. The University of San Diego reports one student lost their visa. Five stu dents at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and four students at San Diego State University (SDSU) also had their visas canceled. Studying electrical engineering at SDSU for the past five years has felt like a scene out of a movie for Abdudllah Alabbas. Hundreds of students, dozens of colleges hit by Trump’s visa purge: What to know “We've known all about the United States [since] when we were kids in the movies, and it’s like a dream to us. So when we go there and study, we feel like we’re obligated to do our best,” he said. But, when he received an email confirming the state department revoked the student visas from four of his peers, fear began to kick in. “Oh my God! What’s going to happen? Is it for real?" he said. This isn’t a unique experience. Per some estimates, more than 160 universities and colleges across the country have reported canceled international student visas. “I think a big part of the anxiety is coming from the lack of disclosure as to why these visas are being revoked," said Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien, an associate professor of political science at SDSU.   4 student visas at San Diego State University revoked According to Inside Higher Ed, more than 840 international students lost their visas to study in America. “We’re gonna lose that talent, and we’re gonna lose our place as a global leader in education,” Gonzalez O'Brien said, when asked how this would impact other international students' decision to study in the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says this is just the beginning. “In the days to come, you should expect more visas will be revoked as we identify people that we should never have allowed in,” Rubio said. Rubio accuses these students of vandalizing buildings and supporting movements counter to the United States, but some believe that’s a threat to free speech. “No one wants to live in a police state either where we’re afraid to say things or international students are afraid to express themselves,” said Lara Zimmer who's visiting the SDSU campus with her daughter for new student weekend. UCSD students protest after classmates are forced to leave the country The Association of International Educators estimate in the last academic school year international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy. “It’s not about also losing just money," Alabbas said. "It’s about losing the time, losing your hopes, losing everything.”   Alabbas hopes his years of hard work will pay off. “My parents sent me here. They believed in me. My country, my friends, everybody believed in me. I should get something back to them, which is my bachelors, and I think they deserve it more than I do,” he said.   We have yet to receive any information as to why these students had their visas rescinded, and there’s still a lot of uncertainty remaining for international students across the country. ...read more read less