Four Columbia University students had their student visas revoked on Monday, the latest among scores of international students at top US universities to have their documents canceled in recent days amid the US government's decision to deport international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Columbia said in a Monday statement that it had learned that four current international students had their visas revoked, and only became aware of their status — as with many of the institutions — during review of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database. Columbia assured that its International Students and Scholars Office was monitoring SEVIS for any changes and would notify students accordingly.
"The University deeply values our international scholars and students," said the Columbia Public Affairs Office. "Our international community is essential to driving excellence in scholarship and research at Columbia, and we are committed to supporting all members of our community."
Columbia has been the focus of not just anti-Israel protests since October 2023 but also the crackdown on campus radicalism by President Donald Trump's administration, with Columbia University Apartheid Divest leading member Mahmoud Khalil being arrested and having his green card revoked on March 8.
On Sunday, the Harvard International Office revealed that the visas of three Harvard students and two recent Harvard graduates had been revoked. Like Columbia, the university reportedly learned of the revocations during a routine records review and subsequently notified the students and referred them to legal assistance.
Harvard added that it was not aware of "the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe."
The institution added that it values its international students and wants to continue supporting them.
Stanford University revealed on Friday that four students and two recent graduates have had their student visas revoked.
The student visas of six students who attended the University of California, Berkeley, were also revoked, according to the university's statement on Sunday. This includes two undergraduate students, two graduate students, and two alumni.
Other California University system institutions have been struck by the wave of revocations in recent days, with the UC President's Office notifying them on Friday of the issue. The office said that while it was doing all it could to support students in exercising their rights, it would continue to follow applicable state and federal laws.
"This is a fluid situation, and we continue to monitor and assess its implications for the UC community and the people affected," said the UC President's Office.
Six students and six former students participating in an Optional Practical Training (OPT) program had their visas terminated at UCLA, as Chancellor Julio Frenk said in a Sunday statement, and were reportedly due to violations of the terms of the visa programs. Frenk noted that the university was not aware of any enforcement activity on campus related to the terminations.
Five students had their visas revoked at the University of California, San Diego, according to a Friday statement by Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, and University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary May said Saturday that seven students and five recent graduates had their visas cancelled.
"The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations," May said in a statement. "We recognize that these actions are distressing for many in our campus community. We expect this situation to remain fluid, and we continue to closely monitor and assess its implications."
Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Irvine announced on Instagram on Saturday that five students had their visas canceled and offered advice on how to avoid speaking to ICE agents.
Five international students at the University of Massachusetts had their visas revoked, university Chancellor Javier Reyes announced on Friday. Reyes said that in a change from past procedure, student statuses are being revoked within hours of their visa’s revocation. The university established a fund to support students managing the change in immigration regulations.
Executive order
In January, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order threatening to revoke the visas of students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests during the Israel-Hamas War. More recently, on March 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the government had revoked the visas of 300 international students studying in the United States.
"It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas," Rubio said at a press conference in Guyana.
On Saturday, the US State Department announced that it would be revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders because the transitional government had failed to accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner.
The Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
