Federal authorities have revoked the visas of at least five international students at the University of Rochester, as well as those of another six recent graduates.
UR President Sarah Mangelsdorf confirmed the action in a Wednesday afternoon email to the campus community. The Trump administration has reportedly canceled 300 or more student visas nationwide, also including highly publicized cases at Columbia and Cornell here in New York.
“We are deeply troubled by the escalation of immigration enforcement activity toward our international students — actions that were taken without communication with the university,” Mangelsdorf wrote.
Rochester Institute of Technology also is confirming that several students have been affected by "recent visa changes.” And Buffalo Toronto Public Media is reporting four current students and nine recent graduates of the University at Buffalo have had their visas revoked by the federal government.
UB boasts an international population of 8,380, putting the university in the top 25 of American schools with the most foreign students. UR's international student population stands at 4,200.
More than 1 million international students studied at U.S. colleges and universities last year, the most recent data available.
International students go through a vetting process to secure a visa and must meet and maintain certain benchmarks. In the past, if a visa were revoked, it would involve some communication between the university or college where they were studying and the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS. Students would typically be allowed to remain and complete their studies, but would need to renew their visa if they traveled outside of the country and wanted to return.
But at UR, nine of the 11 affected individuals also had their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, officials said. That means they no longer have the right to be in the country.
With spring break approaching, UR is encouraging international students to carefully consider “potential risks” before finalizing travel plans outside of the country. Guidance posted online also advises students to be mindful about what they share on social media.
The notice referred to the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement earlier in the day that ICE would consider information posted on social media accounts. In particular, the DHS bulletin read that ICE would consider “antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.”
It was not immediately known in what, if any, campus activity the students had participated, if they had any prior infractions or what otherwise drew federal authorities' attention. Officials at both UR and RIT declined to elaborate on details surrounding their students and graduates. A message left with DHS was not immediately returned.
University staffers are working to connect the affected individuals with resources to help determine their next steps while also “proactively monitoring the SEVIS database several times a day” to check students’ legal status, Mangelsdorf wrote.
“We want to reiterate that our university is deeply enriched and strengthened by our international students, faculty, and staff. We have a long legacy of welcoming students and scholars from all over the world, enrolling our first international students three years after our founding in 1850,” read the email, which was also signed by UR Provost Nicole Sampson.
No international students have been affected at Nazareth or St. John Fisher universities, nor at Monroe Community College, spokespeople at those institutions confirmed Thursday.
Includes reporting by the Associated Press.
