The Trump administration has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students across the United States, as part of a broader immigration crackdown. However, many universities remain uncertain about the reasons behind these actions.
Over 1,000 international students and recent graduates at more than 130 schools in the U.S. have had their visas or statuses revoked in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) this year, according to statements from university representatives.
Colleges and universities in 40 states have confirmed the termination of student visas and statuses to CNN.
At Middle Tennessee State University, six students from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East had their visas revoked, according to university spokesperson Jimmy Hart.
“The University does not know the specific reason(s) for the visa status changes, only that they were updated in the federal database that tracks them,” Hart explained.
David Walt, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discussed the issue in an interview with CNN.
Several universities have stated that the government did not provide a reason for the actions taken. In most cases, universities discovered the visa terminations when reviewing the system. Only a few institutions reported having been informed about why their students’ visas or SEVIS accounts were revoked.
“Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revoked the visa status of four international students at the University of Oregon, based on unspecified criminal charges,” said Eric Howald, a spokesperson for the university. “The university was not notified in advance and has not been provided details about the nature of the criminal charges.”
It remains unclear whether all affected students must leave the U.S. immediately or if they can continue their studies.
International students, including those at prestigious U.S. universities, have been affected amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. Some cases have involved accusations of supporting terrorist organizations, while others concern relatively minor infractions, such as old misdemeanors.
Federal officials have not clarified why many students’ visas were revoked, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly stated that certain behaviors, including participating in protests, will not be tolerated.
“They’re here to attend classes, not to lead activist movements that disrupt and undermine our universities,” Rubio commented.
The University of California, Los Angeles, informed CNN that 12 of its current or former students were impacted by the visa terminations. “The termination notices indicate that all actions were due to violations of the terms of the individuals’ visa programs,” stated the university’s chancellor, Julio Frenk.
Students Take Legal Action Against the Trump Administration
While many students have not received clear answers from the White House or DHS regarding the revocation of their status, a new federal lawsuit aims to halt student visa revocations and restore those already terminated.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia in Atlanta, currently includes 133 foreign nationals, including students from India, China, Colombia, Mexico, and Japan, according to the complaint and Dustin Baxter, one of the attorneys filing the case.
The students are listed under pseudonyms due to concerns over retaliation by government officials. The lawsuit names three Trump administration officials as defendants: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons.
The complaint alleges that ICE has unlawfully and suddenly revoked the students’ legal status in the U.S., preventing them from continuing their studies and risking their arrest, detention, and deportation.
The White House and DHS have not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
According to the suit, the administration removed the students from the SEVIS database, which the Department of Homeland Security uses to track international students’ status in the U.S.
In late March, Rubio mentioned that over 300 visas, mostly student visas, had been revoked.
One of the most notable cases involves Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and Columbia graduate, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident through a green card. He faces deportation following accusations of supporting terrorist organizations.
