As part of a broad crackdown by the Trump administration, Stanford University is the most recent California institution to announce that the visas of a number of students and alumni had been revoked.
Four students and two recent graduates had their visas canceled, Stanford acknowledged in a statement on Sunday.
“The University learned of the revocations during a routine check of the [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] database,” it stated. “Stanford notified the students of the revocations and made external legal assistance available to them.”
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department had canceled the visas of at least 300 students, seemingly targeting international students involved in political activities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained a number of well-known pro-Palestinian academics.
In the past week, almost three dozen California university students’ and graduates’ visas have been revoked. Schools withheld information due to privacy concerns.
The biggest public university system in the state, the University of California, said that it was aware of modifications to the status of international students on several of its campuses.
“This is a fluid situation, and we continue to monitor and assess its implications for the UC community and the people affected,” the University of California administration stated. “We are committed to doing what we can to support all members of our community as they exercise their rights under the law.”
Six individuals who attended the University of California, Berkeley campus also had their student visas revoked. Two undergraduate students, two graduate students, and two alumni were impacted, the institution stated in a statement on Saturday.
The STEM Optional Practical Training Extension program, which permitted 24-month extensions for international students to work in related industries, was the reason the two UC Berkeley alums were in the US.
“Campus officials (and the University of California) are committed to doing what they can to support all members of our community as they exercise their rights under the law,” UC Berkeley stated. “In doing so, the university will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws.”
At the University of California, San Diego, the visas of five more students were cancelled. Five recent graduates and seven students had their visas revoked at the University of California, Davis.
“The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations,” UC Davis stated. “We recognize that these actions are distressing for many in our campus community. We expect this situation to remain fluid, and we continue to closely monitor and assess its implications.”
In a statement regarding the matter, the University of California, Irvine did not say how many students or alumni were impacted by the student visa adjustments implemented by the Trump administration. It stated that it was “providing guidance and resources to support our community through these developments.”
When asked how many members of its community had their visas canceled, UC Irvine did not immediately comment.
Over the weekend, the UCLA student publication, The Daily Bruin, said that “multiple” students on campus were impacted.
The OPT visas of six recent graduates were terminated, while the visas of six currently enrolled students were canceled, according to a statement released by UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk on Sunday.
“We recognize that these actions can bring feelings of tremendous uncertainty and anxiety to our community,” Frenk stated. “We want our immigrant and international UCLA students, staff and faculty to know we support your ability to work, learn, teach and thrive here.”
This information has been sourced from NBC News.
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