Trump administration cancels visas of 13 UW-Madison international students and alumni
Bascom Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Ron Cogswell | used by permission of the photographer)
President Donald Trump's administration canceled the visas of six current University of Wisconsin-Madison students and seven alumni who had employment extensions, the university announced. Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson Mark Pitsch said in an email that there have also been cancellations at other UW campuses and the system is working on gathering more information.
'We are aware of visa terminations other than those described at UW-Madison. Resources for students are available through our universities,' Pitsch wrote.
The cancellations come as the Trump administration has been cracking down on immigration, including the presence of international students in the country.
UW-Madison said in a press release Monday that it played no role in the cancellations. According to the release, UW learned from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that the students' records were terminated.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told the Faculty Senate that it wasn't contacted directly about the cancellations and only learned about them because staff has been reviewing federal databases every day to see whether students have been affected.
UW-Madison noted that a status termination generally means an affected person should depart the United States immediately. UW-Madison's office responsible for providing services to international students has contacted the students and alumni whose visas were canceled to advise them about the potential consequences of the cancellations and provide information about legal resources if requested.
UW-Madison also said that while it's not uncommon to see terminations for many reasons, it and peer institutions have seen an elevated volume and frequency of terminations over the last week.
On March 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that at least 300 visas for international students have been revoked. Rubio told reporters that every time he finds 'one of these lunatics,' referring to students that have participated in protests, he takes away their visa.
The cancellations have taken place at other institutions in the Midwest including University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University in Mankato as well as other institutions across the country, including at University of California institutions, Colorado State University and Arizona State University. In some cases, the cancellations have been tied to activism related to Palestine, while others have been tied to criminal infractions and in some cases, traffic violations.
UW-Madison said the 'precise rationale' for the termination of the visas is unclear, but that it doesn't believe they were specific to participation in any 'free speech events or political activity.' The university hasn't responded to an inquiry for more information about the students.
Some of the students targeted by the Trump administration have been outspoken activists against the war in Gaza. Mahmoud Khalil, a former student at Columbia University who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests on campus, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is being held in a Louisiana detention facility with federal authorities claiming to have revoked his green card. Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen with an F-1 student visa, was detained by mask-wearing DHS agents as she was leaving her off-campus apartment in Massachusetts. She is also being held in Louisiana.
UW-Madison said it is not aware of federal law enforcement activity on campus as of Monday.
'International students, faculty, and staff are important members of the UW–Madison community, and the university deeply values their presence,' the university said in the statement.
Mnookin also told faculty that while she can't force people to, she is hopeful faculty will use their discretion to offer accommodations to affected students to help them finish their courses and degrees.
UW-Madison also pointed students to resources included in an update from April 2.
In that update to its international community, UW-Madison said it understood that ICE's detainments of students at other institutions were 'highly unsettling — especially for you and our broader international community.'
'You are a valued and integral part of campus life, not only for the perspectives you bring to our teaching, research, and engagement mission, but also for the many ways you enrich the university's social and cultural life,' Vice Provost and Dean Frances Vavrus said in a statement earlier this month. 'We continue to be deeply grateful for your presence at UW–Madison.'
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