A growing number of US colleges are raising the alarm over an aggressive crackdown on international students, accusing Trump administration of using vague justifications and new tactics to force foreign students out of the country. University officials fear the trend will discourage students from studying in the United States.
In recent weeks, students have had their entry visas revoked and, in many cases, have been ordered to leave the US immediately, a major transition from previous practices that often allowed them to complete their studies. Some were targeted over minor offences such as traffic violations, while others appear to have been singled out for pro-Palestinian activism.
Edward Inch, president at Minnesota State University in Mankato, revealed on Wednesday that five international students had their visas revoked without clear explanation. The university discovered the issue while checking a federal database, following the detention of a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota linked to a past drunk driving conviction.
“These are troubling times, and this situation is unlike any we have navigated before,” Inch wrote in a letter to the campus, quoted by news agency AP.
The crackdown seems to have intensified after President Donald Trump reiterated his pledge to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. One of the first high-profile detentions involved Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card-holding Columbia University graduate student and activist.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio later confirmed that students were being targeted for their involvement in protests and links to what he described as "potential criminal activity."
According to college officials across the US including institutions like Arizona State, Cornell, North Carolina State, the University of Oregon, and the University of Texas, dozens of international students have lost their legal residency status with little or no warning.
In many cases, federal agencies are bypassing universities entirely, quietly deleting student records without consultation. Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the presidents’ alliance on higher education and immigration, said that under the new approach the students are ordered to leave the country in a suddenness that the institutions have rarely seen.
“None of this is regular practice,” Feldblum said.
At North Carolina State University, two Saudi students left the US after being told their student status had been revoked. The university is now trying to help them continue their education remotely.
Philip Vasto, a roommate of one of the students, said the student, a quiet, apolitical engineering graduate, was devastated by the decision, AP reported.
“He’s made his peace with it,” Vasto said. “He doesn’t want to allow it to steal his peace any further.”
A similar situation happened at the University of Texas at Austin, where two students, one from India and one from Lebanon, had their legal status revoked, according to internal checks. Both were graduates working full-time under student visa provisions, and neither had knowingly violated any conditions. Federal records simply cited criminal checks or possible visa revocations.
Some of the actions are reportedly being carried out under an obscure law that allows the government to remove foreign nationals whose presence could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Trump invoked the law in a January executive order targeting antisemitism on campuses.
Michelle Mittelstadt of the migration policy institute said the administration’s moves may now be subject to legal challenges over free speech and due process rights.
“In some ways, what the administration is doing is really retroactive,” she said.
"Rather than saying, 'This is going to be the standard that we're applying going forward,' they're going back and vetting students based on past expressions or past behavior."
The association of public and land-grant universities has requested a meeting with the State Department, amid growing fears that the lack of transparency and the sweeping nature of the crackdown could damage the US’s global reputation.
Bernie Burrola, a vice president at the association, said many member institutions had experienced at least one visa revocation in recent weeks — often without any clear reason.
“The universities can’t seem to find anything that seems to be related to Gaza or social media posts or protests,” Burrola said.
“Some of these are sponsored students by foreign governments, where they specifically are very hesitant to get involved in protests.”
He added that while students from across the globe are affected, some of the targeted individuals have come from the Middle East and China.
With uncertainty growing, education experts warn the US may no longer be seen as a reliable destination for international students. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: association of international educators, said the current climate could drive students to other countries.
“We should not take for granted that that’s just the way things are and will always be,” she said.
In recent weeks, students have had their entry visas revoked and, in many cases, have been ordered to leave the US immediately, a major transition from previous practices that often allowed them to complete their studies. Some were targeted over minor offences such as traffic violations, while others appear to have been singled out for pro-Palestinian activism.
Edward Inch, president at Minnesota State University in Mankato, revealed on Wednesday that five international students had their visas revoked without clear explanation. The university discovered the issue while checking a federal database, following the detention of a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota linked to a past drunk driving conviction.
“These are troubling times, and this situation is unlike any we have navigated before,” Inch wrote in a letter to the campus, quoted by news agency AP.
The crackdown seems to have intensified after President Donald Trump reiterated his pledge to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. One of the first high-profile detentions involved Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card-holding Columbia University graduate student and activist.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio later confirmed that students were being targeted for their involvement in protests and links to what he described as "potential criminal activity."
According to college officials across the US including institutions like Arizona State, Cornell, North Carolina State, the University of Oregon, and the University of Texas, dozens of international students have lost their legal residency status with little or no warning.
In many cases, federal agencies are bypassing universities entirely, quietly deleting student records without consultation. Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the presidents’ alliance on higher education and immigration, said that under the new approach the students are ordered to leave the country in a suddenness that the institutions have rarely seen.
“None of this is regular practice,” Feldblum said.
At North Carolina State University, two Saudi students left the US after being told their student status had been revoked. The university is now trying to help them continue their education remotely.
Philip Vasto, a roommate of one of the students, said the student, a quiet, apolitical engineering graduate, was devastated by the decision, AP reported.
“He’s made his peace with it,” Vasto said. “He doesn’t want to allow it to steal his peace any further.”
A similar situation happened at the University of Texas at Austin, where two students, one from India and one from Lebanon, had their legal status revoked, according to internal checks. Both were graduates working full-time under student visa provisions, and neither had knowingly violated any conditions. Federal records simply cited criminal checks or possible visa revocations.
Some of the actions are reportedly being carried out under an obscure law that allows the government to remove foreign nationals whose presence could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Trump invoked the law in a January executive order targeting antisemitism on campuses.
Michelle Mittelstadt of the migration policy institute said the administration’s moves may now be subject to legal challenges over free speech and due process rights.
“In some ways, what the administration is doing is really retroactive,” she said.
"Rather than saying, 'This is going to be the standard that we're applying going forward,' they're going back and vetting students based on past expressions or past behavior."
The association of public and land-grant universities has requested a meeting with the State Department, amid growing fears that the lack of transparency and the sweeping nature of the crackdown could damage the US’s global reputation.
Bernie Burrola, a vice president at the association, said many member institutions had experienced at least one visa revocation in recent weeks — often without any clear reason.
“The universities can’t seem to find anything that seems to be related to Gaza or social media posts or protests,” Burrola said.
“Some of these are sponsored students by foreign governments, where they specifically are very hesitant to get involved in protests.”
He added that while students from across the globe are affected, some of the targeted individuals have come from the Middle East and China.
With uncertainty growing, education experts warn the US may no longer be seen as a reliable destination for international students. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: association of international educators, said the current climate could drive students to other countries.
“We should not take for granted that that’s just the way things are and will always be,” she said.
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