In a sweeping and largely unexplained crackdown, US immigration authorities have revoked student visas for numerous international students at some of the country’s most prestigious universities — including Harvard, Stanford, and Tufts — leaving students, administrators, and legal advocates scrambling for answers.
According to a report by ABC News, since Donald Trump came to power for the second term, the US has revoked 300 student visas.
The cancellations, many of which were discovered only after federal immigration databases were updated, have impacted both current students and recent graduates, university officials confirmed in recent days. The revocations have sent shockwaves through academic communities, raising questions about transparency, due process, and the future of international education in the United States.
BREAKING: 300+ student visas in the US at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley and more have been revoked overnight for:
— Failure to maintain immigration status
— Anti-US protests + social media posts
— Past criminal offences (DUI, etc)Read the 10-page memo from a lawyer below: pic.twitter.com/lpzwMu5QUF
— Deedy (@deedydas) April 9, 2025
This development comes amid intensified scrutiny of international students under broader immigration enforcement efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last month that more than 300 student visas had been rescinded, part of what appears to be a growing and coordinated campaign.
“We’re still trying to fully understand what’s going on,” Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “There’s very little clarity about the criteria or processes being used,” she said.
Among the most high-profile cases is that of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University. Ozturk was detained by federal agents while simply walking down the street last month.
Every Jewish American should be standing up and saying NO to this.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Muslim Turkish national and doctoral student, was arrested by unidentified ICE agents while walking to meet friends. Her whereabouts are unknown. Her only “crime”? Participating in a protest—… pic.twitter.com/6qHaZrcLG9
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) March 27, 2025
Similarly, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate, had his visa revoked after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Both individuals are now being held in immigration detention centres as deportation proceedings move forward.
TERROR: Mahmoud Khalil’s wife refuses to answer when asked point blank if her husband supports Hamas. She won’t condemn Hamas either. Khalil reportedly passed out materials from Hamas media office, led a movement which held hostages in an illegally hijacked building, and was… pic.twitter.com/8Ovj55nfl6
— @amuse (@amuse) March 25, 2025
In California, dozens more international students have been swept up in the crackdown. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, student visas have been revoked across several University of California campuses, including UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz, as well as at Stanford. In some instances, students allege that their visas were cancelled over minor infractions, such as traffic violations, as per the Bloomberg report.
Students File Lawsuits
Two unidentified students have filed federal lawsuits, arguing that their visas were revoked without due process. Their legal teams contend that immigration authorities failed to provide adequate explanations or opportunities to appeal the decisions.
Stanford University acknowledged in a Friday statement that six of its students had their visas revoked. A university task force on immigration continues to meet regularly, and Stanford emphasized that it does not voluntarily share student or personnel data with federal immigration officials unless required by law.
Harvard University, in a separate update on Sunday, reported that five individuals—three current students and two recent alumni—had lost their visa status. Similar reports have surfaced at institutions including Dartmouth College, Minnesota State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon.
Despite growing concerns, both the State Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have declined to comment on the situation or clarify the criteria behind the cancellations.
While the State Department has long had the authority to revoke visas, immigration experts say the current surge is unusual in both scale and coordination.
Students Impacted At Universities
Several students were impacted by the US government’s move. Here is a list of universities and the number of affected students at each institution, published by ABC News:
Arizona State University: 8 students
Central Michigan University: 4
Colorado State University: 6
Harvard University: 5
Kent State University: 3
Minnesota State University: 5
North Carolina State: 2
Ohio State University: 5
Stanford University: 6
University of California system: Unknown
University of Cincinnati: Unknown
University of Colorado: 2
University of Kentucky: Unknown
University of Massachusetts Amherst: 5
University of Michigan: 4
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: 4
University of Oregon: 1
The list includes what was known at the time of publication and there may be changes later.
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