Some international students at American University have had their visas revoked by the federal government, according to Acting Provost Vicky Wilkins.
Wilkins first told community members that some student visa statuses had changed in an April 17 community forum. She confirmed in an April 21 email to AWOL that the federal government had revoked some of them.
“We are monitoring this to make sure we can support these students,” Wilkins said in the email.
The statement follows news of similar revocations of visas by the Department of Homeland Security at other Washington universities.
Wilkins said AU will not announce the number of students affected or any other details.
“We think that it’s very important that we keep our heads down during our work and in no way take risks with the privacy of the individuals who have been affected, or in any way doing other unsafe practices to our other students,” Wilkins said at the forum.
Ernesto Castañeda, director of the AU Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, said in an email to AWOL the university is likely prohibited from disclosing the names of affected individuals because of federal privacy legislation, like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
“It is up to the students affected to come up and advertise their case if they want to,” Castañeda said. “It is a personal decision.”
In an April 10 weekly federal update, George Washington University said it was aware the federal government had terminated a small number of its students’ visas. At Georgetown University, officials said on April 14 the federal government had terminated the visas of 10 community members, according to a GU page for immigration policy and regulation updates.
On March 17, DHS officials detained Badar Khan Suri, a GU postdoctoral fellow and Indian national legally residing in the United States, according to a POLITICO article. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, wrote on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a determination on March 15 that Suri could be deported for foreign policy concerns.
Annette Lee, vice president of the AU Sunrise Movement, said she agreed students’ privacy should be respected, but would like to hear from administration about how many people are affected.
“They could just provide anything that’s maybe following the format of our peer institutions,” Lee said. “GW sent out statements about it, so something like that following their lead.”
Sunrise is one of seven AU groups that endorsed a letter requesting administrators take more concrete steps in protecting the university community from the federal government.
The letter requests AU administrators protect research and teaching, academic freedom, green card and visa holders, immigrants and members of other marginalized groups. Another signatory group, the AU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, distributed the letter at an April 17 teach-in ahead of a rally that delivered a copy to the president’s house.
AU March for Our Lives, AU Students for Reproductive Justice, the AU Community Garden, the AU Staff Union and 42 individual faculty and staff members also endorsed the letter.
In March, 86% of the 1,128 AU students who voted in AU Student Government elections voted in favor of a referendum making AU a sanctuary campus, according to election results emailed to students March 7 by the AUSG Office of Elections.
The university is not required to implement the referendum, Lily Swahnberg, the referendum’s campaign manager said. She said the referendum went to the Division of Student Affairs for review after passing.
According to the referendum, a sanctuary campus does not record the immigration and citizenship statuses of community members, allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials onto campus or disclose confidential student information unless compelled by a judicial order.
Swahnberg, who sponsored the referendum as an undergraduate senator, said she would also like to receive more rapid communication from the university. She said students were confused when the university took hours to respond to the spotting of an individual impersonating an ICE agent on campus on Feb. 14.
“That’s, first of all, so scary, and it’s on our campus,” Swahnberg said.
Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Matt Bennett said in an email to AWOL the university provides timely information to the community in response to the specific circumstances of a given situation.
“We evaluate and verify the information available and provide updates and direction to ensure safety and avoid unnecessary concerns,” Bennett said. “A timely communication in this matter was sent as verified information was obtained and clear updates were available to help the community understand the facts of the situation.”
Bennett said at the community forum that AU’s International Student and Scholar Services office monitors the DHS Student and Exchange Visitor database hourly. The database tracks international students and exchange program members using student or vocational visas, according to its terms and conditions on the DHS website.
“If there’s any changes in an individual student’s immigration record, they reach out immediately and begin supporting them,” Bennett said. “And again, as I said, it’s going to be in different ways, depending upon what that student’s individual situation might be, what kind of resources they might need.”
In the Fall 2024 semester, 1,137 international students attended AU, according to the Academic Data Reference Book. Of them, 382 were undergraduates and 597 were graduate students.
Lee said she would like to hear more from administrators about concrete steps they are taking to protect international students. She said asking for improved communication from the university is tied to AAUP and Sunrise’s demand at the April 17 rally: that the university protect vulnerable students.
“We just kept repeating it: ‘Protect the vulnerable,’” Lee said. “Because in protecting the vulnerable, you are protecting community. You’re protecting everyone that you say is a part of this family.”
Editing by Kalie Walker, Caleb Ogilvie and Alexia Partouche.
