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Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Roommate of NC State student with revoked visa warns of ‘chilling effect'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Two North Carolina State University students are back in Saudi Arabia after their visas were revoked by the U.S. government. One of the students, Saleh Al Gurad, received the life-changing news a week ago, according to his roommate, Philip Vasto. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 2 NC State students leave US after visas terminated, officials say 'We didn't know what to make of it, we thought it was a mistake,' Vasto said. 'He had just the most grave expression on his face, wide-eyed.' Vasto said there was no explanation or reason given for why Al Gurad's visa was revoked. 'I could tell he had felt betrayed,' Vasto said. 'It was a feeling of abandonment.' Vasto met Al Gurad in December when the two started rooming together. He said they bonded over their love of different cuisines and professional sports, describing Al Gurad as someone who kept to himself. 'He was just a hard worker, very diligent,' Vasto said. 'He actually took a job here on campus and he was just really knee deep in his studies. According to Vasto, Al Gurad was working on a master's in engineering management. Students at other American universities who have voiced support for Palestinians have also had their visas revoked by the U.S. government, but Vasto said that is not the case for his roommate. 'He's an apolitical person, so he minded his business,' Vasto said. Vasto believes Al Gurad was singled out because of his ethnicity. 'That sends a very chilling message to international students all across America,' he said. Other students echoed that sentiment. 'It's a scary time right now for everyone,' said Satha Boaj, a student government senator at NC State. Boaj is not an international student, but is originally from Jordan and said the situation has been a shock for her. 'I think there's a lot of fear right now, not because of losing rights, but being deported, getting kicked out, losing their families, losing their progress in their education, in their jobs,' she said. In her role in student government, Boaj recently helped pass a bill making an international affairs department permanent to help international students navigate college, including immigration issues. 'One of the things we really wanted to focus on with this department is working with the Office of Global Engagement and the immigrant attorney we have at NC State, putting them together, and helping [students] with any legal issues that they run into regarding their visas, green cards, things like that,' she said. NC State enrolls nearly 5,000 international students, the most in the University of North Carolina system. 'They're contributing so much to the student body,' Vasto said. 'And it would be an absolute shame if the Wolfpack abandons these students.' In a statement Wednesday, the university said in part, 'NC State did not initiate these terminations and was not directly notified of these changes. 'We are deeply concerned about the lack of communication from federal agencies and the impact of these actions on our international students.' The university explained both students decided to return to their home country and said they will be able to finish their semester while there. Vasto wants to see more action. 'I would think that it would send a message if the university said they would not comply with ICE and would allow this university to become a sanctuary campus,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two NC State students leave the country after visas revoked by Trump administration
Two international students at NC State University have left the country after their visas were terminated by the administration of President Donald Trump, the university announced Tuesday. The university learned that the visas — which international students are required to obtain in order to study and enroll at U.S. colleges — had been terminated on March 25, according to an unsigned statement from the university's Office of International Services. The university 'did not initiate these terminations and was not directly notified of these changes,' the statement read, adding that staff at the Office of International Services confirmed the terminations with federal government officials. The office 'contacted the students to advise them about the potential consequences of these changes and provide resources for them,' per the statement. 'In consultation with their home country embassies and private immigration attorneys, both students made the decision to depart the United States,' according to the university. The university did not name the students. But in a letter to the editor published in the Technician, NC State's student newspaper, fourth-year student Philip Vasto wrote that both students are from Saudi Arabia, and that one of them was 'Sal,' his roommate. A separate Technician news article about the terminations further identified that student as Saleh Al Gurad, who is studying chemical engineering. The termination of the NC State students' visas comes as the Trump administration in recent weeks has increasingly targeted international university students, especially those who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio also ordering federal officials to scrutinize the social media accounts of those applying for student visas. On Friday, days after NC State learned that the two students' visas had been terminated, Rubio said he had signed more than 300 letters revoking the visas of students and other visitors to the country since Trump took office in January, The New York Times reported. But the reasoning for Al Gurad and the other, unidentified student having their visas revoked remains unclear. Vasto, in his letter to the editor, wrote that Al Gurad 'never attended any protests or wrote about this issue on social media.' 'He minded his business and studied, yet he was targeted for no other reason than that he is an Arab national,' Vasto wrote. Juliette Majid, a doctoral student in chemistry and a member of the NC State chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, told The News & Observer she was not aware of either student being involved with the organization, which has been active in organizing pro-Palestinian protests. Still, the group is concerned about two fellow university students having their visas revoked. 'While there are no known ties between these two visa revocations to freedom of speech or pro-Palestine speech for either student, this aligns with the trends that we've been seeing about visas being revoked, citing pro-Palestine social media content and targeting Palestinian and pro-Palestinian solidarity organizers across the nation,' Majid said. The termination of a visa does not automatically lead to deportation if the visa holder remains in the country, though it is a possibility, particularly if an immigration hearing determines that deportation is justified, ABC News reported. According to reporting from the Technician, Al Gurad arrived in his home country Sunday. Both students will be permitted to continue their coursework online, away from campus. NC State officials 'are deeply concerned about the lack of communication from federal agencies and the impact of these actions on our international students,' the university's statement read. 'We are committed to assisting these two students in any way we can, including completing the semester from abroad.' According to a 2024 report by the U.S. Department of State, NC State enrolled more than 3,700 international students during the 2023-24 academic year, most of whom were graduate students. NC State enrolls the most international students of any school in the public UNC System and hosts the second-most international students of any university in the state, according to federal data. NC State enrolls students from more than 100 countries, with Saudi Arabia ranking seventh in the number of students originating from that country. 'Our NC State international students, faculty and staff remain critically important members of our community and we deeply value the talent, ideas and insight that they bring to our campus,' the university's statement read Tuesday. Reporter Lexi Solomon contributed.
