Following threats by the current presidential administration to revoke student visas, the international community at the University was notified via email by John Kosky, vice president and chief human resources officer, and Vice Provost for Global Affairs Stephen Mull that one current student’s visa had been canceled.
According to University spokesperson Bethanie Glover, the University does not know why the visa was canceled and cannot provide any further information related to the case at the moment. The latest information and advice regarding immigration enforcement at the University can be found at the federal information page, which provides students with answers to frequently asked questions regarding policy changes from the new administration.
President Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency and signed multiple executive orders regarding immigration enforcement Jan. 20 and 21. Since then, multiple international students and faculty at universities across the country have been detained or threatened with deportation if the federal government believes they have undermined U.S. foreign policy.
Other universities around the country have struggled to adapt to the latest orders from the Trump administration. Tufts University was one university that saw an increase in immigration enforcement when Rümeysa Öztürk, an international doctoral student, was detained by Homeland Security March 25. Öztürk is a Turkish student and had a valid student visa when she was taken by agents while going to break fast during Ramadan.
Homeland Security released a statement which said that Öztürk was engaged in activities which supported Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group responsible for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Öztürk was one of several other students who wrote an opinion piece last March criticizing the administration at Tufts for not acknowledging what they called a genocide in Palestine.
Similarly, at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student at Columbia and lead negotiator of the pro-Palestine encampment in 2024 was arrested by federal immigration enforcement March 8, which has created an uproar on campus. An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled Friday that Khalil can be deported, but the final decision will happen at the federal court in New Jersey.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration has canceled roughly 300 visas of students who have been connected to pro-Palestinian activism and activities — students who have traditionally been protected by First Amendment rights. While this is a small percentage of the 1.1 million international students currently studying in the U.S., many college communities are unsure of what comes next.
The recent executive orders mention the possibility that there may be federal travel restrictions in the future, which would prohibit travelers from certain countries from entering the United States.
The future remains uncertain as to what could happen when international students go home for the summer, as the University urges all international students to be cautious and assess all of the risks when planning any travel outside of the U.S.
According to Kosky and Mull, international students at the University still stand as a remarkable source of strength and vibrancy at the University, and serve as an integral part of the community. They encouraged international students to reach out to advisors in the International Students and Scholar Program office to discuss any questions or concerns. International faculty should be in contact with their human resources business partner about any questions regarding the recent order.
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