More than three dozen student visas across multiple universities in California have been terminated, officials have announced in recent days, joining a national trend as the Trump administration cracks down on visa holders in the United States.
Six current UCLA students had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System status terminated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said in an open letter on Sunday, April 6.
A Department of Homeland Security program, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program maintains information on international students through SEVIS, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. A person with a terminated SEVIS record is no longer in “an authorized period of stay” in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Study in the States website.
Additionally, six former UCLA students participating in a practical training program had their status terminated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, the chancellor said.
“The termination notices indicate that all terminations were due to violations of the terms of the individuals’ visa programs,” Frenk said. “At this time, UCLA is not aware of any federal law enforcement activity on campus related to these terminations.”
UCLA officials learned of these terminations during a routine audit of SEVIS records, Frenk said.
Students at some Ohio universities and Colorado universities, Arizona State University and elsewhere have had their visas revoked recently, according to USA TODAY NETWORK reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March that the department may have revoked more than 300 student and visitor visas, USA TODAY reported. He said that people taking part in activities counter to national interests and foreign policies will see their visas revoked, although some revocations are also due to “potential criminal activity.”
Yet some California universities are saying they have not been provided explanations for the revocations.
Which other schools in California have reported student visas being revoked?
Four Stanford University students and two recent graduates had their student visas revoked, Stanford University learned on Friday, April 4. Like UCLA, the school learned of this during a routine check of the SEVIS database, it said on its website.
“We are not currently aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them,” Stanford University said.
Meanwhile, at least four student visas were canceled at the University of California, Berkeley, NBC Bay Area reported on Saturday, April 5.
The same day, University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary S. May said in a statement that seven students and five recent graduates had their F-1 visas, a type of student visa, terminated.
“The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations,” May said.
Five University of California, San Diego students had their F-1 visas terminated, and one student was detained at the border and deported to their home country, the university said on Friday, April 4.
UC San Diego did not say which country the student was deported to in its notice. The university received the notifications of these visa terminations “without warning” and, similar to UC Davis, that the government hasn’t explained the reasons for these terminations.
The University of California said its “aware that international students across several of our campuses have been impacted by recent SEVIS terminations” in a statement on Friday, April 4.
“We are committed to doing what we can to support all members of our community as they exercise their rights under the law,” the statement read. “In doing that, the University will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws.”
These reports follow multiple universities in California urging their international students to rethink travel plans outside the U.S. amid concerns of a Trump administration travel ban.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Dozens of student visas revoked at multiple California universities