2 weeks Ago
Mark Weiner | [email protected] A student walks past the Hall of Languages at Syracuse University. Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.
com President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly revoked the visas of three international students at Syracuse University without explaining why the students were targeted, SU officials told syracuse.com. The Syracuse students are among more than 1,700 nationwide who had their visas revoked or legal status terminated in recent weeks by the federal government.
Those students are now at risk of detention or deportation. SU officials declined to discuss the legal status of the affected students. But a spokesperson said two of the three students are scheduled to graduate on time, and the university is working with the third to ensure the person can continue their studies.
SU found out about the federal government’s action this week as the Trump administration ramped up plans to cancel permission for some international students to remain in the United States. “The university was not notified in advance, nor did it share any student information with the government prior to the students receiving notice,” SU said in a statement. “No explanation has been provided regarding why these particular students were selected.
” SU declined to identify the three students or their nationalities, citing university privacy policies. The SU Center for International Services and Office of Academic Affairs are working with the students “to ensure continuity in their education,” the SU statement said. “The university understands this news may be concerning for international members of our community and has been in direct communication with international students as well as international faculty and staff ,” the statement said.
SU said its administrators are also talking to elected officials and government leaders. SU declined to say whether the school had contacted the State Department or other officials in the Trump administration. About 3,300 international students are enrolled in Syracuse University this semester out of a total population of 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
As of Tuesday, the Trump administration had revoked visas or terminated the legal status of about 1,700 international students at more than 265 private and public colleges and universities, according to data compiled by Inside Higher Ed . In Upstate New York, visas have been revoked for 17 international students at Cornell University, 13 at the University at Buffalo, 11 at the University of Rochester, five at Binghamton University, three at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and one at Siena College, according to the data. The crackdown has alarmed college leaders, who say students received either no information or vague justifications for the actions.
In some cases, students were targeted for their pro-Palestinian activism, criminal infractions, or traffic violations. Some students have filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing the federal government lacked justification to cancel their visas or terminate their legal status to study in the U.S.
International students can apply for a student visa after gaining admission to a U.S. college or university.
Those entry visas are managed by the State Department. Once in the United States, students have their legal status overseen by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program run by the Department of Homeland Security. The program’s database is typically updated only after colleges inform the federal government that students are no longer studying at the school.
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