Multiple students at University of Idaho, Washington State University have student visas revoked

Four students at the University of Idaho and three students at Washington State University are among students nationwide who are having their student visas revoked by the Trump Administration. The seven Palouse students were the only ones confirmed at the time of publication.

School officials say universities have not been notified by federal officials, and they have not been given a reason why. 

Near the start of his term, President Trump announced in a statement that the U.S. Department of Justice would take immediate action to “quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”

Students from both schools were part of campus protests after movements across the country called for a ceasefire in Palestine and for the universities to divest from corporations with financial ties to Israel.

When asked if student visas were being revoked because of their involvement in pro-Palestinean protests, Secretary of state Marco Rubio said, “They’re here to go to class. They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities.”

Student visas have been a surprising focus of the Trump Administration’s enforcement measures, and arrests of several international students have raised concerns about a possible violation of First Amendment rights, according to a statement from the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

Officials at both universities use a database called the Student Exchange Visitor Information System Database or SEVIS, to check the visa status of their students, said Kate Hellmann, WSU’s director of International Student and Scholar Services. 

“We are actively doing so each day so that we can provide information and support to anyone who might be impacted,” Hellmann said. 

One of the WSU students had already finished their education, and was approved to do work in the U.S., but didn’t land a job, so they left the country, she said. 

The other two students whose VISAs have been revoked at WSU are undergraduates who now have to navigate how to finish their education, Hellmann  said.

Not much is known about the University of Idaho students. Student information is protected under FERPA law, said Jodi Walker, executive director of communications at U of I. 

“ I’ve been in this position for almost six years, I’ve been in the field of international education for 20,“ Hellmann said. “I’ve never seen something like this.”

Staff at WSU are working with the students to try to help them complete their programs, she said. 

Students on visas are being told to reach out to their universities for support as the situation develops.