The state’s top universities, including University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern and the University of Chicago, confirmed Wednesday that visas of international students were revoked by the Trump administration, joining a growing number of international students across the country who have had their visas canceled.
Officials say that many if not all have been revoked with no explanation and no prior notice, creating confusion on campuses and deep-rooted fear among students.
On Wednesday, U. of C. officials confirmed that the federal government terminated the F-1 visas for three current students and four recent graduates, while their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) status had also been terminated.
Meanwhile Southern Illinois University Edwardsville confirmed eight of its international students had their visas canceled, including three enrolled undergraduate students and five graduate students on optional practical training.
Students from U. of I., University of Illinois Chicago, Northwestern and Southern Illinois University Carbondale also have had their visas terminated, according to officials from those schools who declined to say how many. However, a high-ranking official at U. of I. who did not have permission to speak on the record told the Tribune that 19 students had their visas rescinded, according to data in the SEVIS system.
SEVIS, an online system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, is used to monitor the records and information of international students on F-1 or J-1 visas and keep track of students whose visa status is being challenged.
Legal experts say once a SEVIS record is terminated, a student’s legal status becomes immediately invalid and they must either leave the U.S. within the grace period, typically 15 days, or take steps to restore their status. Otherwise, they may risk deportation and future visa restrictions.
“My understanding is that Trump promised mass deportations and the people you can find that are the easiest to identify are students,” said Genevieve Lakier, a University of Chicago professor who specializes in freedom of speech and American constitutional law. “They’re in the system and universities maintain records that are easy to access via multiple pathways. And of course, the administration doesn’t like universities, so it does not mind disrupting their business model. It’s a win- win for the administration and horrifying for our students who are terrified.”
Over the past week, nearly 300 full-time international students across the country were informed that their visa status had been revoked, many if not all with no explanation and no prior notice, making them targets of deportation and detainment. College officials and university communities are left to unpack what is happening and how best to advise its students.
Many of the universities impacted by the cancellations in Illinois have large international student populations. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 10% of the student body at Northwestern has non-U.S. resident status, while University of Chicago’s student body has 17% non-U.S. resident status and U. of I.’s student body has 15% non-U.S. resident status.
Faculty and students at U. of C. told the Tribune that some of the visa revocations appear to be connected to minor infractions such as parking tickets or traffic violations, though school officials could not confirm. In Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this week a student from Colombia who was taken into custody by immigration agents after he was stopped by Gainesville police with an expired registration and driver’s license, signed his self-deportation and returned home.
Other visa terminations are related to participation in pro-Palestinian protests or political speech criticzing Israel, like the high-profile case of Mahmoud Khalil, who helped lead last spring’s protests at Columbia University and now faces possible deportation despite facing no criminal charges.
Some institutions have shared publicly that students have lost visas but many colleges and universities have yet to disclose the exact number.
The negative effects of the nationwide student visa revocations have been far-reaching, said Ida Salusky, research associate professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Salusky, who works with undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, said her students are scared about their visa status, citing the case of Rumeysa Ozturk — a Turkish international doctoral student at Tufts University who was taken by immigration officials near her home last month.
“The images of the young woman from Tufts in Boston, you know, basically being grabbed off the street. That’s terrifying for any student, for any young person, especially for somebody who is on a visa,” Salusky said.
Students are unable to fully focus on their work, causing them to be less productive, she noted.
“Everybody talks about and this administration is talking about, ‘We want the people to be productive. We want our dollars to be well spent.’ But that is hard to accomplish for anyone when you’re in constant fear about whether you will be able to remain in the country to do the work or to pursue the degree and the studies that you came here to do,” Salusky said.
U. of C. spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said the Office of International Affairs (OIA) also identified the U. of C. terminations during an audit of SEVIS records.
McSwiggan did not clarify when the visas were revoked or when students were notified.
In a statement, McSwiggan said the U. of C. is committed to continued deep engagement and active exchange with international students, scholars, and visitors.
“The university has a long history of supporting America’s position as a magnet for talented people from across the globe, and we will continue to work to assist the members of our international community,” he said.
Last Friday, U. of I. sent a message to their student body that students at the university were affected by the widespread visa terminations.
In the letter, U. of I. Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost John Coleman said the federal government does not proactively notify the university of no-contact terminations, adding that students whose immigration status has been terminated should “consider making plans to exit the United States immediately” as the visa terminations do not carry a grace period.
The letter encouraged students to speak with their departments about alternative ways of completing their degrees, including online learning.
U. of I. declined to provide more details on which students were impacted out of privacy concerns, but said that they are “working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options.”
Lakier, the U. of C. law professor, noted it was the “pervasive practice of the Trump administration to not give notice.” She said school officials have recently implemented daily checks of the SEVIS portal to see who is in status and who is out.
“There is no provision of notice,” Lakier added. “It is a fundamental principle of a system of rule of law that you give notice to people when their legal status or their legal rights change, that is just a basic norm so that they can structure their lives knowing the rule of the government.”
Jackie Stevens, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, said that while the deportations may help the Trump administration optically, it is unclear if the deportations advance any policy goals.
“I don’t even know that it fits any particular policy goal, economic or otherwise, that the Trump administration has in mind,” Stevens said, “but it does help them bump up the metrics as far as deporting people.”
