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At least one Brown student and a “small number” of recent graduates have had their visas revoked over the past week, according to a Thursday email from the Office of International Student and Scholar Services. This comes amid the Trump administration’s recent targeting of international students for pro-Palestine activism.
Following a similar pattern at other schools, the University did not receive notification from the relevant federal agencies about the revocations, adding that they had “no official information to provide” about the reasoning behind the visa cancellations.
“When considering revocations, the department looks at information that arises after the visa was issued that may indicate a potential visa ineligibility under U.S. immigration laws, pose a threat to public safety or other situations where revocation is warranted,” a State Department spokesperson wrote in an email to The Herald.
Although the State Department notifies the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, it is “not generally required” to notify visa holders that their visa has been revoked, according to the spokesperson.
Students whose visas have been revoked have been notified of their status by the University, according to University Spokesperson Brian Clark. “We are committed to supporting members of the Brown community within the law and work directly with impacted students, faculty or staff members as needed,” he wrote in an email to The Herald.
The email appears to have been sent to current international students and “scholars,” as well as recent alumni on Optional Practical Training status.
The recently graduated students impacted by the revocations are on post-completion OPT status, according to the OISSS email. OPT authorizes F-1 student visa holders to work in the U.S. within their major area of study for up to one year after the completion of their studies. Students who earned a degree within the STEM field are eligible to apply for a two-year extension of this authorization, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
OISSS advisors are continuing to check the status of student visas several times per day, according to the email.
The OISSS shared that students can also check their visa status in their OISSS Gateway Portal and recent alumni on OPT can use their Student and Exchange Visitor Program portal to view their status and make changes to their records.
Within two hours of the notification from OISSS, the State Department posted a videographic on Instagram including messages that read “your visa is expired,” “your visa is revoked” and “you have to leave.”
“U.S. visa screening does not stop after a visa is issued,” the post reads. “We continuously check visa holders to ensure they follow all U.S. laws and immigration rules – and we will revoke their visas and deport them if they don’t.”
The revocations come on the heels of the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh to Lebanon, despite her holding a valid H-1B visa, which followed Alawieh’s attendance at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, according to the DHS.
The Trump administration also plans to cut $510 million of federal funding from Brown, citing alleged antisemitism on campus and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a White House official told The Herald.
These revocations follow similar moves impacting student visas at universities across the country. On Monday evening, Rhode Island School of Design President Crystal Williams sent an email to the campus community informing them that one RISD international student’s visa was revoked.
Columbia, Harvard and Stanford University also saw visa revocations. In remarks made on March 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department has already revoked 300 or more student visas.
Sophia Wotman is a University news editor covering activism and affinity & identity. She is a junior from Long Island, New York concentrating in Political Science with a focus on women’s rights. She is a jazz trumpet player, and often performs on campus and around Providence.
Aniyah Nelson is a University News editor overseeing the undergraduate student life beat. She is a senior from Cleveland, Ohio concentrating in Political Science and Sociology. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and watching bloopers from The Office.
