Colleges across the United States are raising red flags over a troubling trend, an unexpected wave of international student visa revocations that is leaving students and institutions scrambling for answers and protections.
While student visas can be rescinded for a variety of reasons, university officials report that, in recent months, the government has been quietly terminating international students’ legal residency status with little to no prior notice. This signals a stark departure from previous procedures and has sparked fears of detainment or deportation among affected students.
Prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, UCLA, and Ohio State University are among those that have discovered students suddenly losing their legal standing in the country, according to an AP report.
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Under the Trump administration, heightened scrutiny has targeted students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, including high-profile cases like that of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and protest leader at Columbia University who was detained. But university officials report that students with no known ties to activism are also being swept up in this clampdown. In several instances, minor infractions—such as traffic violations—have reportedly been cited as grounds for revocation. Yet, in many more, the rationale remains murky.
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“What you’re seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories,” said Michelle Mittelstadt, Director of Public Affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.
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The discovery of canceled visas has frequently occurred only when college administrators or students themselves checked the Department of Homeland Security’s federal immigration database, only to find their status had been abruptly changed.
Typically, students from abroad apply for an F-1 student visa after being accepted to a U.S. institution. The process involves interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate, as well as proof of financial resources. Once in the country, maintaining F-1 status requires staying in academic good standing and adhering to strict employment limitations.
While visas are issued by the State Department, a student’s legal immigration status is managed under the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Traditionally, a visa revocation didn’t terminate legal status—students could remain in the U.S., complete their education, and reapply for reentry after traveling abroad. Now, without residency status, students are suddenly considered removable, and may face immediate deportation.
Higher education leaders are deeply concerned that this aggressive enforcement tactic could seriously harm the United States’ reputation as a premier destination for international study.
Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, warned of a mounting culture of fear. “The very public actions being taken by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security—removing students from their homes or off the street—are unprecedented unless there is a legitimate security threat,” she said. “The threat of this very quick removal is something that’s new.”
Campus officials have expressed frustration at the lack of transparency and are demanding explanations from federal authorities. In the meantime, many schools are advising international students to carry their immigration documents at all times and to avoid unnecessary travel.
University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, whose institution has seen the legal residency of two students and five other community members including recent graduates in training programs revoked, described the atmosphere as deeply unsettling.
“These are unprecedented times, and our normal guiding principles for living in a democratic society are being challenged,” Suárez-Orozco wrote in a campus-wide message. “With the rate and depth of changes occurring, we must be thoughtful in how we best prepare, protect, and respond.”
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