WASHINGTON — Colleges across the U.S. are sounding the alarm as international students suddenly find their visas revoked and legal residency status terminated without notice — a shift that experts say reflects intensified government scrutiny under the Trump administration.
Institutions including Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Ohio State, and the University of Michigan have all reported incidents where students’ immigration statuses were quietly invalidated by federal authorities. In many cases, students and school officials only discovered the revocations after checking Homeland Security’s online database.
“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 of the Migration Policy Institute.
Trump targets international students
Under past practice, students typically retained legal residency and could remain in school, even if their entry visa was no longer valid for international travel. But now, students stripped of their residency status are being told to leave the country immediately or risk detention and deportation.
Some cases have involved high-profile student activists. Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and protest leader at Columbia University, was detained under unclear circumstances. Still, many visa cancellations appear to involve students with no known connection to protests or security concerns. In some instances, minor infractions like traffic violations have reportedly triggered revocations, though officials say reasons are not always clear.
Sarah Spreitzer of the American Council on Education warned that the government’s methods — including arrests of students from their homes or in public spaces — suggest a new, harsher posture. “The threat of this very quick removal is something that’s new,” she said.
Colleges seek to reassure students during uncertain times
University officials nationwide are working to provide clarity and reassurance to their international students. At the University of Massachusetts Boston, Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said visa terminations have impacted seven individuals affiliated with the university, including two students and five recent graduates on training programs.
“These are unprecedented times, and our normal guiding principles for living in a democratic society are being challenged,” Suárez-Orozco said in a message to the campus. “We must be thoughtful in how we best prepare, protect, and respond.”
Colleges are also urging international students to carry identification and immigration documents at all times and to consult their institutions’ international offices before traveling.
With the United States historically seen as a destination for global talent and education, campus leaders worry the new actions could send a chilling message — and diminish international enrollment for years to come.
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