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Four Stanford University students and two recent graduates have had their student visas revoked by federal authorities, according to the university.
Stanford administrators learned about the visa revocations on Friday, after a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a government database with information on foreign students. The university did not release the names of the individuals, but it notified each of the students of the revocations and made external legal assistance available to them, according to an announcement that the university posted.
The Stanford administration is not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, the announcement stated.
“Stanford deeply values its international community of scholars and remains committed to supporting the well-being of all members of our community,” the announcement said. “We understand that these developments may be deeply unsettling for members of our community.”
The revocations come at a time when the Trump Administration has been ramping up its nationwide efforts to crack down on immigration, increase deportations and target campus activists who have been critical of Israel, which has been engaged in a war against Hamas since October 2023.
Last month, ICE agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist. He is now being held in a detention center in Louisiana, according to the Associated Press. Tufts University doctorate student Rumeysa Ozturk, who wrote an essay in the student paper that was critical of Israel, was also detained by ICE agents in late March and brought to the Louisiana facility, the AP reported.
Like other college campuses across the nation, Stanford University had been the site of student demonstrations and protests. Dozens of students had camped out at White Plaza before the university removed the encampment last June. On June 4, a dozen pro-Palestinian activists broke into and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building that houses the office of the president. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said last month that it is reviewing their actions to determine whether to file criminal charges.
University officials noted in their announcement that they keep student and personnel records private and will not share them with immigration agencies unless legally compelled to do so. The university’s Department of Public Safety, which is made up of reserve deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, is not involved in immigration enforcement and does not participate with other agencies in immigration unless legally required, the university’s announcement stated.
There were also rumors circulating on social media on Friday that ICE agents were on campus, but a Stanford University spokesperson said that the university was not aware of their presence on campus.
Resources for students are available here.
