Trump revoked at least 83 student visas. Schools are confused and concerned

Los Angeles Times

08-04-2025

Good morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
The Golden State's renowned universities attract students from all over the world. More than 140,000 international students were enrolled in California campuses last school year, according to data from the Institute of International Education.
Some of those students now face an uncertain future after the Trump administration revoked dozens of international student visas beginning Friday, with no apparent warning. That left college leaders scrambling to determine how many of their students are impacted, The Times' Jaweed Kaleem reported Monday, noting that 'some tallies have fluctuated multiple times a day.'
But the rough estimate based on our reporting so far is that at least 83 students and recent graduates in California have been affected. Most of them are still in the U.S., but their new status opens them up for deportation and other enforcement.
That's what happened to one UC San Diego student, who was 'detained at the border, denied entry and deported to their home country,' Chancellor Pradeep Khosla wrote in a campus message.
'Federal immigration authorities generally only detain individuals when they are a public danger or flight risk but the Trump administration has at times taken more aggressive actions,' Jaweed noted. 'Schools have not reported federal immigration authorities on campuses.'
Revocations have been reported on several campuses across the state, including UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Stanford.
'The termination notices indicate that all terminations were due to violations of the terms of the individuals' visa programs,' UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk wrote in a campus message Sunday.
Among the state's CSU campuses, the visas of 32 students had been revoked as of midday Monday, a spokesperson for the chancellor's office told me. The spokesperson declined to share details, citing privacy laws.
Meanwhile, USC officials have thus far 'declined to state whether student visas were canceled at the campus, which is home to more than 17,000 international students, the largest concentration at any California school,' Jaweed noted.
It's unclear why exactly the affected students were targeted for revocation. After headline-making detainments and deportations elsewhere in the U.S., federal officials alleged 'pro-Hamas' activities by foreign students who had protested Israel's war in Palestine. But campus members told Jaweed that there doesn't appear to be a connection to cases in California.
A State Department spokesperson told The Times in a written statement that the U.S. 'has zero tolerance for non-citizens who violate U.S. laws,' but did not give specifics about visa cancellations in California.
'Those who break the law, including students, may face visa refusal, visa revocation, and/or deportation,' the spokesperson wrote. 'The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to administer and enforce U.S. visas and immigration laws.'
Some affected students are already fighting back. Two filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in Los Angeles federal court over the weekend, arguing their revocations were illegal and claiming their only legal violations had been minor driving-related infractions.
In their complaint, their lawyers argue the federal actions are 'designed to coerce students ... into abandoning their studies and 'self-deporting.''
You can read more about the revocations and campuses' responses in Jaweed's ongoing reporting.
With hopes for asylum in the U.S. dashed, migrants in Tijuana ponder their next moves
The Supreme Court pauses a wrongful deportation case at the behest of Trump lawyers
Tesla shares drop amid auto tariffs and a 'brand crisis'
What else is going on
Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.
He fought racism and fascism: A 108-year-old WWII paratrooper who paved path for Black soldiers dies. Sgt. Joe Harris lived a beautiful life, Times reporter Nathan Solis writes. He sailed to earth on numerous missions as a member of the U.S. Army's first all-Black paratrooper battalion during World War II, the 555th, aptly nicknamed the 'Triple Nickles.' At his funeral service Saturday, friends, families and uniformed members of the military danced and sang to honor Harris, believed to be oldest paratrooper veteran when he died March 15.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [e-mail].
Going out
Staying in
Email us at [e-mail], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they're important to you.
Today's great photo is from Erika Brown of Berkeley: Año Nuevo State Park.
Erika writes: 'Año Nuevo State Park is gorgeous. In early winter, it also becomes one of the rare locations where northern elephant seals come to breed, birth, and brawl.'
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporterAndrew Campa, Sunday reporterKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorHunter Clauss, multiplatform editorChristian Orozco, assistant editorKarim Doumar, head of newsletters
Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.