In a sweeping national trend, 20 international students and recent graduates at the University of Utah have received notifications that their visas have been terminated, requiring them to leave the country less than a month before graduation.
This alarming development comes on the heels of an immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has reportedly targeted numerous colleges across the nation.
The Legacy Alliance, a coalition representing various student organizations, including the Asian American Student Association, Black Student Union, Mecha, the Pacific Islander Student Association, and the Latinx Student Union, expressed outrage over the visa revocations.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the group condemned the administration’s actions, stating, “We stand in solidarity with our international students and demand immediate action to protect their rights as students at the University of Utah. We refuse to be silent.”
The group made several requests directed at the university, including a public advocacy for the reversal of the Trump administration’s policies and increased transparency regarding visa and SEVIS status changes.
They also emphasized the need for enhanced legal and mental health services for affected students.
Historically, the University of Utah has maintained a stance of political neutrality.
In May 2023, the Utah System of Higher Education passed a resolution reinforcing freedom of speech and academic neutrality on college campuses, stating that institutional neutrality means refraining from public political positions unless they directly affect the university’s core mission or pedagogical objectives.
Unfortunately, the U is not alone in facing these challenges, as it joins numerous other institutions like Columbia University and Texas A&M University, which have also become targets of the immigration policy crackdown.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that 300 student visas had been revoked as of Thursday, with more revocations anticipated daily.
As of last Friday, over 790 international students across more than 150 colleges in the United States had their visas revoked.
This includes nine students at both Utah Tech University and Southern Utah University, five at Weber State University, three at Salt Lake Community College, three at Utah Valley University, and two at Snow College, according to data compiled by Inside Higher Ed.
Initially, these visa revocations primarily affected students involved in protests advocating for liberation in Palestine and university divestment from Israel.
Noteworthy incidents included the high-profile abduction of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish student taken by unidentified federal agents and transported from New Hampshire to Louisiana without access to legal representation.
However, visa terminations have since extended to students with minor infractions, such as traffic violations, or even to those who committed no crimes at all.
In a statement regarding the impact of the visa cancellations on University of Utah students, President Taylor Randall suggested that the terminations could be linked to a criminal records check.
He stressed that colleges and universities nationwide have not received consistent notifications about changes to the immigration statuses of international students, a process not mandated by law.
University administrators have been proactive in addressing concerns regarding international students’ safety.
At-risk students are encouraged to reach out to the International Student & Scholar Services and the Office of General Counsel for support.
Students have also been cautioned against international travel following a declaration by the Trump administration imposing a travel ban on non-citizens from 43 countries, preventing citizens of those nations from reentering the United States.
The College of Social and Behavioral Science has announced, “ISSS is holding open office hours every day to consult with non-U.S. citizen students/scholars. You are strongly encouraged to consult with them about your particular circumstances.”
The U has openly communicated its limitations in advocating for its students in the wake of the visa terminations.
In correspondence with students from the College of Social and Behavioral Science, David Carter, chair of the Division of Public Affairs, noted, “I also need to communicate that the Division of Public Affairs and the University of Utah have no authority when it comes to the administration’s immigration determinations, and few pathways to aid or intervene when administration representatives make a decision that impacts one of our students.”
He encouraged students to heed the university’s advisories, particularly regarding international travel.
At the state level, Utah has yet to release a statement on the deportations of students, although the Cox administration has previously pledged support for the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives.
As various agencies continue to compile data on these student visa revocations, the timeline and rationale behind the ongoing terminations remain uncertain.
Guidance on “self-deportation” remains ambiguous, with input from Customs and Border Protection yet to clarify procedures.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated, “The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream. If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”
The Department of Homeland Security further explained their reasoning, asserting, “Self-deportation is the safest option for illegal aliens, while preserving law enforcement resources. Not only is it safer, but it also saves U.S. taxpayer dollars and valuable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources to focus on dangerous criminal aliens.”
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