The United States has revoked the visas of four international students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and 13 students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, according to university officials.
WPI learned of the visa revocations through its regular monitoring of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a government database, as stated by WPI President Grace Wang in a communication obtained by MassLive on Thursday.
“We do not know the reasons for these decisions,” Wang’s statement read.
University officials are actively working with the affected students to secure legal representation and to determine their next steps regarding their education and ongoing study programs.
Wang emphasized that the university consistently monitors its SEVIS system to identify students whose visa status has changed, and reassured international students of their place at WPI amid the current climate of uncertainty.
“We understand that international students may feel anxious about their visa status,” Wang said. “In this climate of uncertainty, I want to assure WPI’s international students, staff, and faculty: You are welcome here. You belong here. WPI is here to support you.”
To that end, WPI encourages all international students to familiarize themselves with their legal rights, and anticipates that the International Student and Scholars Office, along with the Talent and Inclusion office, will be reaching out to ensure that all necessary documentation is up to date.
In light of these events, the university has also provided a recorded seminar titled “Know Your Rights” for its international students, aiming to help them navigate these challenges.
At UMass Amherst, the university spokesperson confirmed that the 13 revoked visas include an initial five revocations identified the previous week.
University Chancellor Javier Reyes addressed the campus community regarding the situation, noting that the university learned about the first five visa revocations on Friday night through its SEVIS system.
Crucially, the federal authorities did not inform the university of these actions.
Reyes stated, “We are connecting these students to on- and off-campus resources, including personal outreach from leadership within the Office of the Provost, Student Affairs and Campus Life, and the Office of Global Affairs.”
He reinforced the university’s commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of its international community by emphasizing collaboration with the UMass Office of General Counsel and the Attorney General of Massachusetts.
In his remarks, Reyes highlighted the tradition of attracting international students to U.S. higher education, stating, “Higher education in the United States has always been the envy of the world. Like so many others, I came to the United States to study through the student visa program. We came to better ourselves, better our communities, and better the country that welcomed us as scholars.”
On Sunday, in an updated statement, Reyes confirmed that UMass Amherst “did not play any role in the federal administration’s unilateral action in terminating the status of our UMass Amherst students.”
Importantly, Reyes noted that these visa revocations have no “known connection with either the campus’ federally mandated participation in active OCR Title VI complaint processes or with students’ engagement in activism.”
The recent visa revocations come on the heels of heightened actions by the Trump administration against colleges and universities.
Almost three months into his second term, President Donald Trump initiated the formation of an antisemitism task force to investigate how cities have tackled antisemitism on campuses, threatening to withdraw or have already withdrawn federal funding from universities.
Notably, international students who have participated in protests against the war in Gaza have faced detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resulting in the revocation of their student visas.
One of the first widely reported visa revocations occurred when Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was arrested on March 25, 2024, by six masked federal immigration agents in Somerville, seemingly in retaliation for an op-ed article she co-authored supporting Palestinians in Gaza published in the school’s newspaper.
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