A recent string of detainments and terminations of legal student visas by immigration officials calls into question the safety and rights of international students nationwide and the legality of several recent moves by government officials. At the direction of U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s administration, hundreds of student visas have been revoked under the pretense of being a threat to national security. Many immigration experts, however, view the moves as purely political, particularly targeting students who have protested, advocated for or written against the current presidential administration or in favor of pro-Palestinian movements regarding the ongoing Israeli conflict with Palestinian civilians in Gaza and Hamas, the controlling terrorist and political organization of the area.
This conflict puts Andrews University in a potentially tricky spot. Andrews is very proud of its international student population, with 20% of its students coming from outside of the U.S. Andrews has the 7th most international students out of universities in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. Although there have not been any reports of Andrews students having their visas revoked or in jeopardy, the fact remains that a large portion of the university community will be vulnerable to such actions, with little effective legal action being taken to reverse the termination of such visas.
The first notable instance of the Trump administration moving to arrest college students who are legal residents of the U.S. was when Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian and a graduate student at Columbia University, was arrested in his university-owned apartment on March 8. Since then, over 1,300 international students from across 210 colleges and universities have had their legal status changed and had their visas revoked by the federal government.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has been the chief spokesperson for the Trump administration on the ongoing legal debates on canceled student visas. In a press conference, Rubio emphasized that “no one has a right to a visa” and cited activities coming from pro-Palestinian protests as dangerous.
“They’re here to go to class,” Rubio said of collegiate pro-Palestinian protesters. “They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities. I think it’s lunacy to continue to allow that.”
At Andrews, the Office of International Student Services has continually worked to assist and communicate with international students on dealing with the rapidly changing developments coming without much warning from Washington, D.C. Christian Stuart, associate dean for International Education, explained that in the past, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has worked with schools to give them notice well in advance of possible changes and investigations into the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) which deals with student visa status. With the federal government authorizing agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to view student visa records, cancellations of visas happen suddenly with little to no warning ahead of time.
The Trump administration has seemingly had as many supporters of his aggressive immigration policies as he has critics. Many networks and political officials have defended Trump’s decisions to target pro-Palestinian protesters, whom they often framing as “pro-Hamas.” Many protesters have tried to refute this characterization as the majority of major pro-Palestine movements and protests have highlighted the war crimes perpetrated on Palestinian citizens by Israeli troops rather than trying to drum up support specifically for Hamas.
As Andrews seeks to comply with government policies, Stuart and Alayne Thorpe, deans of the College of Education and International Services, want to assure students that the university’s priority will also be the safety, well-being and respect of its students. Stuart said all international students should contact the Office of International Student Services if they seek to be more confident that they are in compliance with the conditions of their student visas.
“Every student with a student visa should know the basic requirements because they have attended the mandatory international student orientation at the beginning of the semester,” he said. “If somehow they have not attended, at least come and talk to us so that we can show the online version of that orientation.”
Many of the college students who have had their visas revoked because of ties to pro-Palestinian rhetoric argue that freedom of speech is at risk for other students. Especially with President Trump considering targeting “homegrown” U.S. citizens for deportation, this alleged restriction of free speech could possibly extend beyond just international students. In light of this, Thorpe refuses to encourage censorship of students but still wants those in possibly vulnerable positions to be cautious.
“A student can still decide to post that political thing if they want to because they should; we do want to protect freedom of speech,” said Thorpe. “They just need to know what the result could be … and know what the risk could be.”
Fortunately, according to Thorpe and Stuart, no Andrews University student has had their student visa revoked or run into any serious issues with the federal government or immigration officials. While many of the schools that have had students targeted are much larger institutions than Andrews, such as Columbia, Harvard University and nearby University of Notre Dame, this does not mean Andrews and its students are invulnerable. Even smaller schools, such as Western Michigan University, which is barely an hour's drive from Berrien Springs, Michigan, have reported that four of their international students have been removed from SEVIS by the federal government.
To bring more information and possibly reassurance to Andrews’ international students, the Office of International Student Services hosted a town hall meeting on April 17 to address student concerns and dispel possible misinformation that may have been spread.
“Some of the changes have been coming quick and fast and furious,” said Thorpe. “But also, there’s a lot of rumor out there, which isn’t true, too. We feel responsible for making sure we don’t fearmonger, either.”
During the town hall, students had their questions and concerns addressed, while administrators explained how to navigate the evolving circumstances. Students learned that the Office of International Student Services will continue to check the SEVIS database multiple times to see if any student’s visa status has changed. Students were also told that I-20 forms are not being impacted by the current political moves.
Finally, students were advised to be very careful when leaving the United States and when posting online, since a lot of the visa revocations often seem to be politically motivated, and freedom of speech can be a double-edged sword. Check in with the Office of International Student Services if you are ever unsure of your status or expectations.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.