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Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
More than 1,000 international students have had visas or legal status revoked
At first, the bar association for immigration attorneys began receiving inquiries from a couple students a day. These were foreigners studying in the U.S., and they'd discovered in early April their legal status had been terminated with little notice. To their knowledge, none of the students had committed a deportable offense. In recent days, the calls have begun flooding in. Hundreds of students have been calling to say they have lost legal status, seeking advice on what to do next. 'We thought it was going to be something that was unusual,' said Matthew Maiona, a Boston-based immigration attorney who is getting about six calls a day from panicked international students. 'But it seems now like it's coming pretty fast and furious.' The speed and scope of the federal government's efforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges across the country. Few corners of higher education have been untouched, as schools ranging from prestigious private universities, large public research institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges discover status terminations one after another among their students. Trump administration revokes student visas from U. of C., Northwestern and U. of I. At least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to a review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. Advocacy groups collecting reports from colleges say hundreds more students could be caught up in the crackdown. Students apparently targeted over minor infractions Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year — a source of essential revenue for tuition-driven colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and their ability to pay tuition often factors into whether they will be admitted to American schools. Often, they pay full price. Many of the students losing their legal status are from India and China, which together account for more than half the international students at American colleges. But the terminations have not been limited to those from any one part of the world, lawyers said. Four students from two Michigan universities are suing Trump administration officials after their F-1 student status was terminated last week. Their attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, Ramis Wadood, said the students never received a clear reason why. 'We don't know, and that's the scary part,' he said. The students were informed of the status terminations by their universities via email, which came as a shock, Wadood said. The reason given was that there was a 'criminal records check and/or that their visa was revoked,' Wadood said, but none of them were charged or convicted of crimes. Some had either speeding or parking tickets, but one didn't have any, he said. Only one of the students had known their entry visa was revoked, Wadood said. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel's war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges. But many students say they don't fall under those categories. Students have filed lawsuits in several states, arguing they were denied due process. In New Hampshire, a federal judge last week granted a temporary restraining order to restore the status of a Ph.D. student at Dartmouth College, Xiaotian Liu. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Wisconsin issued a similar order, ruling the government could not take steps to detain or revoke the visa of a University of Wisconsin-Madison gradate student. Two graduate students at Montana State University, Bozeman, on Tuesday were granted a temporary restraining order by a federal judge in Montana, restoring their terminated legal status and shielding them from efforts to remove them from the U.S. In a break from past, feds cancel students' status directly At many colleges, officials learned the legal immigration status of some international students had been terminated when staff checked a database managed by the Department of Homeland Security. In the past, college officials say, legal statuses typically were updated after colleges told the government the students were no longer studying at the school. The system to track enrollment and movements of international students came under the control of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after 9/11, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators. She said recent developments have left students fearful of how quickly they can be on the wrong side of enforcement. 'You don't need more than a small number to create fear,' Aw said. 'There's no clarity of what are the reasons and how far the reach of this is.' Her group says as many as 1,300 students have lost visas or had their status terminated, based on reports from colleges. The Department of Homeland Security and State Department did not respond to messages seeking comment. Foreigners who are subject to removal proceedings are usually sent a notice to appear in immigration court on a certain date, but lawyers say affected students have not received any notices, leaving them unsure of next steps to take. Some schools have told students to leave the country to avoid the risk of being detained or deported. But some students have appealed the terminations and stayed in the United States while those are processed. Still others caught in legal limbo aren't students at all. They had remained in the U.S. post-graduation on 'optional practical training,' a one-year period — or up to three for science and technology graduates — that allows employment in the U.S. after completing an academic degree. During that time, a graduate works in their field and waits to receive their H-1B or other employment visas if they wish to keep working in the U.S. Around 242,000 foreigners in the U.S. are employed through this 'optional practical training.' About 500,000 are pursuing graduate degrees, and another 342,000 are undergraduate students. Among the students who have filed lawsuits is a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who is supposed to graduate on May 5, with a job offer to join the faculty. His attorney Charles Kuck said the student was likely targeted for termination because of an unpaid traffic fine from when the student lent his car to a friend. Ultimately, the violation was dismissed. 'We have case after case after case exactly like that, where there is no underlying crime,' said Kuck, who is representing 17 students in the federal lawsuit. He said his law firm has heard from hundreds of students. 'These are kids who now, under the Trump administration, realize their position is fragile,' he said. 'They've preyed on a very vulnerable population. These kids aren't hiding. They're in school.' Some international students have been adapting their daily routines. A Ph.D. student from China at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said she has begun carrying around her passport and immigration paperwork at the advice of the university's international student office. The student, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by authorities, said she has been distressed to see the terminations even for students like her without criminal records. 'That is the most scary part because you don't know whether you're going to be the next person,' she said. ___ Seminera reported from Raleigh, N.C., and Keller reported from Albuquerque, N.M. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Originally Published: April 17, 2025 at 6:53 PM CDT
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.
Chicago Tribune
25-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Allen Sanderson, U. of C. economics professor who was skeptical of public subsides for sports stadiums, dies at 81
Allen Sanderson was a University of Chicago economics professor who built a national reputation for his knowledge about sports economics and in particular, his view that government-funded stadiums offer little benefit to the cities and regions where they are built. Sanderson was a professor for large undergraduate economics courses and claimed to have taught more students than anyone in the history of the university. 'Allen loved his students and loved the classroom, and he was a very strong believer in the power of economics — and more precisely, in the power of … economics to do a lot of good in the world, not just that it would position students for success in the world but that it would make them successful citizens,' said Victor Lima, a senior instructional professor in economics at the U. of C. Sanderson, 81, died after a brief illness Jan. 23 at the Montgomery Place senior living community in Hyde Park, where he had been undergoing rehabilitation, said his daughter, Catherine. He was a Hyde Park resident. Born in California, Sanderson grew up in Idaho and after high school went on a Mormon mission in the south of France for two years before getting a bachelor's degree in economics from Brigham Young University. Sanderson picked up a master's degree in economics from the U. of C. in 1970 and taught economics for one year at Georgia State University before returning to the U. of C. to continue graduate studies. He taught at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and was an assistant dean at Princeton University in New Jersey before returning to the U. of C. in 1984 as its associate provost. He held that role for eight years before working for several years at the university's National Opinion Research Center. In 1994, Sanderson joined the U. of C.'s economics faculty. He estimated that he had taught more than 15,000 students in his career. Despite teaching sections of 250 students, twice each quarter and three quarters per year, Sanderson built a rapport with students. 'Yes, he taught economics, and economics is the study of how you make decisions under scarcity and uncertainty, but what Allen Sanderson taught me was the science of common sense,' said Aaron Schur, a 2021 U. of C. graduate. 'Professor Sanderson so often tried to show how your gut instinct or conventional wisdom or maybe your first go at something is not really the right answer or solution — you need to think a bit deeper about something.' Roger G. Clark, who worked with Sanderson while leading the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, said Sanderson had a 'wry wit, wide interests and an almost endless supply of new ideas, together with a genuine concern for his friends and a talent for staying in touch with a large number of them, including former students.' Sanderson was known for taking on tasks beyond the scope of his job, such as leading discussions with incoming first-year students, meeting with foreign visitors to the university and teaching classes arranged by the university's alumni association. Larry Wimmer, a retired Brigham Young University economics professor who taught Sanderson during college and hired him as a teaching assistant. said that Sanderson participated in 'the governance not only of his department but also the undergraduate college,' while also 'contributing to the national debate involving his research specialty,' writing op-eds and 'publishing more book reviews than many have read books.' 'Almost anytime the university wanted to ensure that they were well represented, they called upon Allen for his participation. He never seemed to say no,' Wimmer said. In 1998, Sanderson received the university's Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Sanderson was a go-to source on sports economics for many reporters, providing sometimes-blunt assessments about teams seeking public subsidies for stadiums, or on the economic impact of events such as the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Sanderson's conclusions were grounded in the Chicago School of Economics' pragmatism. 'Usually when you hear the figure someone gives you on a project's economic impact, it's best to take the decimal point and move it one spot to the left, so you end up at about 10% of the original estimate. That's probably what's going to happen,' Sanderson told the Tribune last year regarding a developer's projections that a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop would generate $4 billion in annual economic impact. He was equally skeptical of the Bears' requests for help from the city and state for a new stadium, telling the Tribune last year that 'from the city's point of view, this would be one of the worst decisions they could make.' Spending public money on the project, he said, would be akin to the team using its No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft not on USC quarterback Caleb Williams but 'to draft (Mayor) Brandon Johnson.' 'We have too much evidence that sports stadiums don't pay for themselves, and do not come anywhere close to it,' he said. I'm not anti-sports, I'm a sports fan, but I am also an economist, and anti-wasting money. I'd rather the city spend money on things that don't cost as much or on things it needs.' Sanderson's op-ed pieces for the Tribune over more than two decades covered a wide range of economic and public policy issues. In a 2013 piece, Sanderson offered an unpopular take on professional football, writing that the game 'in its utter lack of modesty and self-restraint, puts a warped mirror to American values and highlights the least flattering facets of the American heart and mind.' 'Given the macho nature of the game, beer addictions of fans and the iconic nature of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, harassment of female reporters in the locker room is, to borrow language from another sports, about par for the course,' Sanderson wrote. 'At almost every turn we seem to have carved out a different set of rules for football and a level of tolerance that is unacceptable elsewhere.' In that same piece, Sanderson lamented that football stadiums 'in many cases are now wholly owned subsidiaries (and) have the lowest rates of use for any structures we have ever built in this country. For all practical purposes, these monuments come with 'Closed' signs on them.' Sanderson also wrote bimonthly articles for Chicago Life magazine. Sanderson was sometimes a paid consultant for cities facing demands for new stadiums, and with his son, he consulted for the Chicago Cubs in helping them move to their dynamic pricing scheme. Despite his criticisms, Sanderson was an enthusiastic fan of the Bears, Bulls and White Sox. The S. Joel Schur Family Economics Prize, given each year to U. of C. students for the quality of their work in principles of microeconomics and principles of macroeconomics courses, will be renamed the Allen R. Sanderson Economics Prizes at the Schur family's request. Sanderson himself last fall established a new fund aimed at enhancing undergraduate economics students' experiences. Sanderson, who never retired, ran the Chicago Marathon three times, enjoyed playing basketball, bicycling and travel, including hiking trips to Utah, his daughter said. Two marriages ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter, Sanderson is survived by a son, Matthew; and five grandchildren. A memorial service is being planned on the U. of C. campus for this fall.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Afternoon Briefing: Appeals court upholds singer R. Kelly's convictions
Good afternoon, Chicago. R. Kelly's racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, along with a 30-year prison sentence, were upheld today by a federal appeals court that concluded the singer exploited his fame for over a quarter century to sexually abuse girls and young women. The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling R&B songwriter was convicted in 2021 in Brooklyn federal court of multiple charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History A federal jury rendered a split decision in the wide-ranging indictment against former House Speaker Michael Madigan, deadlocking on six counts including the marquee racketeering charge; acquitting him on seven counts; and convicting him of 10 counts including conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud. Read more here. More top news stories: Chicago energy executive donates $100M for clean energy initiatives at U. of C. and World Resources Institute Supervisor Tiffany Henyard absent from Thornton Township Board, trustees push back budget vote In a public letter signed by more than two dozen workers at the museum, employees said they were motivated by a desire for 'livable and competitive wages and raises,' clarity around grievance and disciplinary procedures and a greater voice in workplace decisions. Read more here. More top business stories: Heartland Alliance Health shutting down, closing Englewood, Uptown clinics US inflation worsened last month with cost of groceries and gasoline rising After the Kansas City Chiefs were overrun in the Super Bowl, will they let guard Trey Smith become a free agent? Brad Biggs answers your Chicago Bears questions weekly. More top sports stories: Photos: Remembering Virginia McCaskey, the Chicago Bears owner and daughter of team founder George Halas Chicago Bulls hit a new low in a 132-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Is this their new normal? The gift makes the Art Institute one of the leading exhibitors of French art outside France, if not the leading exhibitor, based on the breadth and depth of its holdings. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: After a five-year absence, Playboy magazine is back in print Review: 'The Cave' at A Red Orchid Theatre is about an Ohio family at the start of the Gulf War President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call today to begin 'negotiations' on ending the Ukraine war and would 'work together, very closely' toward winding down the conflict. Read more here. More top stories from around the world: Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence after Republicans fall in line Education Department rescinds Biden memo that threatened to upend college NIL payments
