Latest news with #McSwiggan
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration revokes student visas from U. of C.; students at SIU and U. of I. also targeted
The visas of seven international students at the University of Chicago have been revoked, school officials confirmed to the Tribune Wednesday, joining a growing number of international students at colleges across the country who have had their visas canceled by the Trump administration. U. of C. officials said in an email they informed three current students and four recent graduates that the federal government had terminated their F-1 visa and that their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) status had also been terminated. 'The University of Chicago is committed to continued deep engagement and active exchange with international students, scholars, and visitors,' spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said in a statement. 'The university has a long history of supporting America's position as a magnet for talented people from across the globe, and we will continue to work to assist the members of our international community.' U. of C. is just one of several universities in Illinois where international students have had their visas revoked under President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on universities. A spokesperson for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville confirmed to the Tribune that eight students — three undergraduate students and five graduate students on optional practical training visas — had their visas revoked last Friday. The Daily Egyptian, the student newspaper for Southern Illinois University Carbondale, reported last month that an international student at the university had their visa revoked. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also sent a message to their student body last Friday that students at U. of I. were affected by the widespread visa terminations. In the letter, U. of I. Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost John Coleman said the federal government does not proactively notify the university of no-contact terminations, adding that students whose immigration status has been terminated should 'consider making plans to exit the United States immediately' as the visa terminations do not carry a grace period. The letter encouraged students to speak with their departments about alternative ways of completing their degrees, including online learning. U. of I. declined to provide more details on which students were impacted out of privacy concerns, but said that they are 'working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options.' McSwiggan said the Office of International Affairs (OIA) identified the U. of C. terminations during an audit of SEVIS records. SEVIS, an online system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, is used to monitor the records and information of international students on F-1 or J-1 visas and keep track of students whose visa status is being challenged. U. of C. officials said OIA has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys. McSwiggan did not clarify when the visas were revoked or when students were notified. Over the past week, nearly 300 full-time international students across the country were informed that their visa status had been revoked, many if not all with no explanation and no prior notice, making them targets of deportation and detainment. College officials and university communities are left to unpack what is happening and how best to advise its students. Faculty and students at U. of C. told the Tribune that some of the visa revocations appear to be connected to minor infractions such as parking tickets or traffic violations, though school officials could not confirm. In Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this week a student from Colombia was taken into custody by immigration agents after he was stopped by Gainesville police with an expired registration and driver's license. Other visa terminations are related to participation in pro-Palestinian protests, reports show. Some institutions have shared publicly that students have lost visas but many colleges and universities have yet to disclose the number of students. The negative effects of the nationwide student visa revocations have been far-reaching, said Ida Salusky, research associate professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Salusky, who works with undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, said her students are scared about their visa status, citing the case of Rumeysa Ozturk — a Turkish international doctoral student at Tufts University who was taken by immigration officials near her home last month. 'The images of the young woman from Tufts in Boston, you know, basically being grabbed off the street. That's terrifying for any student, for any young person, especially for somebody who is on a visa,' Salusky said. Students are unable to fully focus on their work, causing them to be less productive, she noted. 'Everybody talks about and this administration is talking about, 'We want the people to be productive. We want our dollars to be well spent.' But that is hard to accomplish for anyone when you're in constant fear about whether you will be able to remain in the country to do the work or to pursue the degree and the studies that you came here to do,' Salusky said.
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Trump administration revokes student visas from U. of C.; students at SIU and U. of I. also targeted
The visas of seven international students at the University of Chicago have been revoked, school officials confirmed to the Tribune Wednesday, joining a growing number of international students at colleges across the country who have had their visas canceled by the Trump administration. U. of C. officials said in an email they informed three current students and four recent graduates that the federal government had terminated their F-1 visa and that their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) status had also been terminated. 'The University of Chicago is committed to continued deep engagement and active exchange with international students, scholars, and visitors,' spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan said in a statement. 'The university has a long history of supporting America's position as a magnet for talented people from across the globe, and we will continue to work to assist the members of our international community.' U. of C. is just one of several universities in Illinois where international students have had their visas revoked under President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on universities. A spokesperson for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville confirmed to the Tribune that eight students — three undergraduate students and five graduate students on optional practical training visas — had their visas revoked last Friday. The Daily Egyptian, the student newspaper for Southern Illinois University Carbondale, reported last month that an international student at the university had their visa revoked. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also sent a message to their student body last Friday that students at U. of I. were affected by the widespread visa terminations. In the letter, U. of I. Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost John Coleman said the federal government does not proactively notify the university of no-contact terminations, adding that students whose immigration status has been terminated should 'consider making plans to exit the United States immediately' as the visa terminations do not carry a grace period. The letter encouraged students to speak with their departments about alternative ways of completing their degrees, including online learning. U. of I. declined to provide more details on which students were impacted out of privacy concerns, but said that they are 'working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options.' McSwiggan said the Office of International Affairs (OIA) identified the U. of C. terminations during an audit of SEVIS records. SEVIS, an online system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, is used to monitor the records and information of international students on F-1 or J-1 visas and keep track of students whose visa status is being challenged. U. of C. officials said OIA has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys. McSwiggan did not clarify when the visas were revoked or when students were notified. Over the past week, nearly 300 full-time international students across the country were informed that their visa status had been revoked, many if not all with no explanation and no prior notice, making them targets of deportation and detainment. College officials and university communities are left to unpack what is happening and how best to advise its students. Faculty and students at U. of C. told the Tribune that some of the visa revocations appear to be connected to minor infractions such as parking tickets or traffic violations, though school officials could not confirm. In Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this week a student from Colombia was taken into custody by immigration agents after he was stopped by Gainesville police with an expired registration and driver's license. Other visa terminations are related to participation in pro-Palestinian protests, reports show. Some institutions have shared publicly that students have lost visas but many colleges and universities have yet to disclose the number of students. The negative effects of the nationwide student visa revocations have been far-reaching, said Ida Salusky, research associate professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Salusky, who works with undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, said her students are scared about their visa status, citing the case of Rumeysa Ozturk — a Turkish international doctoral student at Tufts University who was taken by immigration officials near her home last month.'The images of the young woman from Tufts in Boston, you know, basically being grabbed off the street. That's terrifying for any student, for any young person, especially for somebody who is on a visa,' Salusky said. Students are unable to fully focus on their work, causing them to be less productive, she noted. 'Everybody talks about and this administration is talking about, 'We want the people to be productive. We want our dollars to be well spent.' But that is hard to accomplish for anyone when you're in constant fear about whether you will be able to remain in the country to do the work or to pursue the degree and the studies that you came here to do,' Salusky said.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- BBC News
Bomb survivor recalls being 'blown off his feet and knocked out'
A man who survived the Omagh bombing has described how he was blown off his feet and knocked unconscious by the force of the blast. David McSwiggan said his personal statement, which he delivered to the inquiry this morning, had been written "with great difficulty". He had been in the town to meet a group of friends who were taking part in a community carnival that afternoon when the bomb that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, went had been sceptical that the bomb scare at the courthouse was real and the Troubles usually happened in other places, he told the enquiry. Warning: This page contains distressing detailsMr McSwiggan said they thought Omagh was "a backwater" that did not merit to be a target, especially as the Troubles were supposed to be described going back into the flames and smoke to look for his friends, looking at the dead and injured to see if he could recognise he called out his friends' names, he tried to ignore and not be overwhelmed by the horrific devastation. Trauma led to job loss He contacted his mother who worked as an operating theatre nurse at the Tyrone County Hospital to tell her what had happened and that she and her colleagues were desperately needed."Selfishly all I wanted then, at that moment, was the comfort and security that only a mother can provide but I also knew that nothing would ever be the same for us again."She too would have to see the depraved obscenity I had just witnessed inflicted on our neighbours."His mother never spoke about what she saw or experienced."I can't comprehend what she went through that day doing her duty to help people in need."I am immensely proud of her professionalism and that of her colleagues was so sorely and cruelly tested that day. "He said the trauma he experienced led to anxiety and depression and eventually the collapse of an 18 year relationship and the loss of his teaching said he only began proper trauma informed psychotherapy in 2022."The idea that you could be in your local town on a Saturday afternoon and everyone is rounded up and killed in front of you and nobody really knows why or how or who did it and you're supposed to just go on with your life and never mention it again." What was the Omagh bomb? The bomb that devastated Omagh town centre in August 1998 was the biggest single atrocity in the history of the Troubles in Northern people were killed, including nine children, a woman pregnant with twins, and three generations of one came less than three months after the people of Northern Ireland had voted yes to the Good Friday Agreement. Who carried out the Omagh bombing? Three days after the attack, the Real IRA released a statement claiming responsibility for the apologised to "civilian" victims and said its targets had been 27 years on, no-one has been convicted of carrying out the murders by a criminal 2009, a judge ruled that four men - Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were all liable for the Omagh four men were ordered to pay a total of £1.6m in damages to the relatives, but appeals against the ruling delayed the compensation process.A fifth man, Seamus McKenna, was acquitted in the civil action and later died in a roofing accident in 2013. The public inquiry After years of campaigning by relatives, the public inquiry was set to up examine if the Real IRA attack could have been prevented by UK phase of the inquiry is continuing to hear powerful individual testimonies from relatives who lost loved ones in the explosion. The bombers planned and launched the attack from the Republic of Ireland and the Irish government has promised to co-operate with the the victims' relatives wanted the Irish government to order its own separate public previously indicated there was no new evidence to merit such a move.
