PHOTO COURTESY UIS
On April 11, College of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Janet Gooch issued a memo acknowledging that “sadly, some college students and up to date graduates have had their visa standing terminated.”
The federal authorities has revoked the visas of some worldwide college students learning at universities throughout Illinois, however school directors are sharing few particulars, together with what number of college students have been impacted.
A spokesperson for the College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this week confirmed that a few of its college students are affected, however didn’t disclose a quantity. U of I ranks sixth nationally within the dimension of its worldwide pupil physique at over 15,000.
“Out of pupil privateness issues, we’re not sharing particular data, however we’re working straight with affected college students to assist them join with applicable sources and perceive their choices,” stated Robin Kaler, a college spokesperson. Kaler declined to supply extra particulars, although a number of sources acquainted with the state of affairs at U of I, who requested that their names not be used as a result of they aren’t approved to talk on the matter, say the variety of college students whose visas have been revoked is no less than a number of dozen — and sure rising.
The revocations are a part of a broader federal crackdown enjoying out on campuses throughout the nation. Worldwide college students have confronted abrupt visa cancellations in latest weeks, because the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration dragnet ensnares school college students federal officers declare have violated visa guidelines, although the explanations for the revocations usually are not at all times made clear. In lots of circumstances, college students have additionally misplaced their standing within the Pupil and Alternate Customer Data System, SEVIS, which permits them to legally keep within the U.S. whereas enrolled at school.
Throughout its huge community of private and non-private schools and universities, Illinois hosts one of many largest worldwide pupil populations within the nation, rating fifth, with greater than 55,000 worldwide college students, in accordance with a 2024 Open Doors report.
A spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker’s workplace stated it has been in “shut contact” with each private and non-private college leaders throughout the state however declined to share any details about what number of college students have been affected — or whether or not it even is aware of. The spokesperson stated Pritzker’s workplace is deferring to the schools to supply information on what’s “an extremely fluid state of affairs.”
Ed Yohnka, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, stated the shortage of transparency from each federal officers and universities raises critical issues about accountability and democratic oversight. It additionally makes it troublesome for advocacy teams like his to supply a significant response to affected college students.
“One of many issues we regularly take into consideration after we take into consideration the First Modification, or we take into consideration free speech is that I can’t communicate freely about what the federal government’s doing if I don’t know they’re doing it. I can’t truly train my constitutional proper to take part, criticize and critique the federal government if, in reality, the federal government acts in such an opaque approach that I can’t know what the heck they’re doing,” he stated.
Many faculties are citing privateness legal guidelines, such because the Household Instructional Rights and Privateness Act (FERPA), as to why they can not disclose details about pupil visas.
SIU professor William Freivogel stated that whereas the FERPA bars college disclosure of a pupil’s visa standing until the coed provides written permission, the college ought to launch anonymized information — with out pupil names or figuring out data.
“If the college is worried {that a} pupil is dropping the[ir] visa with out the federal government presenting satisfactory causes, the college can ask the coed if it will probably disclose the data,” stated Freivogel, who focuses on media legislation. “Presumably the governor’s workplace, if involved in regards to the state of affairs statewide, might attempt to accumulate data in the identical approach — asking college students in the event that they wish to waive their FERPA rights so that individuals can get a greater image of what’s occurring statewide and nationwide.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in late March that pupil visas are being revoked as a result of choose worldwide college students got here to the U.S. to check, however as a substitute engaged in “activist actions which might be disruptive and undermine universities,” by way of protests on campus, particularly those who “are supportive of actions that run counter to the international coverage of the US.” That features these calling for assist of the Palestinian individuals and a ceasefire in Gaza, though it’s unclear what the U.S. considers to be “actions that run counter to the international coverage of the US.”
On April 9, the U.S. stated it’s going to start monitoring immigrants’ social media pages for antisemitism.
Beneath this new directive, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies will take into account social media content material that signifies an immigrant “endorsing, espousing, selling, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or different antisemitic exercise as a damaging think about any USCIS discretionary evaluation when adjudicating immigration profit requests” — which can result in visa revocation and the lack to be reinstated.
Occurring on campuses throughout the state
College officers in Illinois haven’t disclosed the explanations that their college students have misplaced their visas, and in some circumstances stated they don’t even know themselves.
Southern Illinois College Carbondale reported one student with a revoked visa in late March however has since declined to touch upon whether or not extra college students have been affected.
After the preliminary affirmation, an SIU spokesperson instructed a reporter it will “not affirm or share data” and is “devoting our sources and energies to supporting our worldwide college students.”
In the meantime, SIU Edwardsville has confirmed that eight college students, together with three undergraduates and 5 graduate college students, misplaced their visa standing earlier this week.
A Northern Illinois College spokesperson confirmed Thursday that 5 worldwide college students there had misplaced their visas.
SIU Carbondale reported 875 worldwide college students for the autumn of 2024, a 2.5% enhance from the yr prior, whereas NIU enrolled roughly 970 worldwide college students. As of spring 2025, SIU Edwardsville had 825 worldwide college students representing 69 nations.
The College of Chicago pupil newspaper, the Chicago Maroon, reported Wednesday that three present college students and 4 latest graduates had misplaced their visas. Worldwide college students on the College of Chicago make up almost 1 / 4 of its pupil physique of roughly 16,000.
As college leaders attempt to steadiness pupil issues, fears of retaliation in an more and more fraught political local weather and rising calls for for transparency, some say they really feel left at midnight. And so they fear the shortage of transparency might conceal the complete scope of the federal authorities’s actions in opposition to worldwide college students nationwide.
“What’s deeply distressing in regards to the information — that a world pupil’s visa was revoked — is the chilling silence round it, which solely provides to the sense that we’re powerless within the face of a number of assaults on the very existence of universities as locations of studying, questioning and nurturing the subsequent era,” stated Jyotnsa Kapur, a professor in cinema and media research and the director of the College Honors Program at SIU Carbondale.
Kapur stated worldwide college students concern jeopardizing their schooling and citizenship standing — and wish the college to supply stronger backing.
“I had a few college students in my workplace — they don’t need their names to be identified — however they instructed me that there’s absolute alarm about what can occur. One pupil was taking an after-dinner stroll and a automobile simply sat there with its lights on for quarter-hour. The coed was truly afraid they could be picked up by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] just like the Tufts student,” Kapur stated.
Questioning the legality of those actions
Illinois state Rep. Katie Stuart, chair of the Home Greater Schooling Committee, stated she’s heard “plenty of tales of visas being revoked” but additionally had no concrete numbers in regards to the influence throughout Illinois.
“I believe it will be useful to place collectively a briefing for legislators to know what the totally different establishments are doing to guard college students as a result of in the end that’s our aim,” stated Stuart, a Democrat whose district contains SIU Edwardsville. “However the reply actually is — proper now — we don’t know for positive what’s happening.”
Illinois Sen. Dale Fowler, a Republican whose district contains SIU Carbondale, additionally stated he didn’t have any sense of the scope of the state of affairs. “I might like to know for positive,” he stated.
Attorneys and authorized students have begun to query the legality of those actions from the federal authorities, on worldwide pupil visas.
These uncharted authorized waters — coupled with the looming threat of losing federal funding — have successfully pushed many U.S. schools right into a state of silence and compliance with the federal authorities.
Lauren Aronson, a scientific professor on the College of Illinois School of Legislation and director of its Immigration Legislation Clinic, stated she is especially frightened in regards to the college’s massive inhabitants of scholars from China, who she believes have gotten a goal.
“The aim is xenophobia and racism — it’s about punishing nations that don’t fall in line,” she stated.
Aronson stated it’s her understanding that a few of the college students impacted haven’t participated in protests and don’t have legal information.
Some SIU college students have began to lift issues to not solely their directors, however to their friends as properly.
At a pupil authorities assembly on April 2, SIU pupil Dustin Kinney requested what they’re doing for the protection and safety of worldwide college students and different marginalized teams on campus.
“I simply thought it was necessary to say, as a result of there are college students on this campus who’re deathly petrified of authorized and educational retaliation. Or, within the occasion of worldwide college students, having their visas revoked,” stated Kinney. “Pals of mine are too scared to even come to issues like USG conferences due to the revocations occurring nationwide and at SIU.”
This story was produced for Capitol Information Illinois by way of the Saluki Native Reporting Lab, supported by grant funding from the Pulitzer Heart, the Illinois Press Basis and the SIU Basis.
Capitol Information Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan information service that distributes state authorities protection to tons of of stories retailers statewide. It’s funded primarily by the Illinois Press Basis and the Robert R. McCormick Basis.
