Visas revoked from 'small number' of international students at University of Kentucky
A "small number of international graduate students" at the University of Kentucky have had their student visas or status revoked, President Eli Capilouto announced in a university-wide email obtained by The Courier Journal.
It's unclear how many students are impacted by the Department of Homeland Security's action.
"University officials immediately reached out to students in these circumstances to provide information and support," Capilouto said.
Capilouto said the university is working to understand the changing federal policies impacting colleges around the U.S. and encouraged international students with immigration-related questions to reach out to International Student and Scholar Services.
"The university will always comply with the law. We also will make abundantly clear that our more than 1,300 international students and scholars are valued members of this special community," Capilouto said.
During a news conference Thursday, University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley said no international students at the institution have had their visas revoked.
UofL spokesperson John Karman said the university is not aware of any changes as of Friday.
Out of 24,123 total students attending UofL as of the Fall 2024 semester, 818 were international students, according to the Office of Institutional Research, Analytics and Decision Support.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more 300 international students' visas have been affected as officials conduct reviews in search of students deemed in conflict with national interest or involved in criminal activity, USA TODAY reported.
There have been several high-profile arrests in recent weeks involving international students, some of whom the Department of Homeland Security has purportedly identified as pro-Palestinian protesters or supporters of terrorist organizations.
Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish graduate student at Tufts University. The Department of Homeland Security cited her support for Hamas as cause for the arrest, the group that governs Gaza and has been at war with Israel, USA TODAY reported.
In another highly publicized case, Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who served as a negotiator between the university and pro-Palestinian protesters during encampments last year, was arrested in March.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Trump administration revokes student visas at University of Kentucky
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