Editors Note: this story had been updated to include more information as it has been provided
Southern Illinois University administration confirmed on Friday, March 28 that an international SIU student has been notified that their student visa has been revoked.
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The SIU administration said that the federal government sent the notice to the student and that the student then informed the university of the situation. The SIU administration also told the Daily Egyptian that “universities do not have a role in the visa revocation process.”
It is unclear why the revocation took place, and there are no further details about the student nor their status at this time.
If a visa is revoked, it becomes invalid, meaning that it cannot be used to enter or re-enter the United States. A visa revocation can lead to severe consequences, including potential deportation or restrictions on future visa applications, depending on the type of visa.
The Illinois Governor’s Office told the DE that they had received notification about the situation on Thursday, March 27.
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“The Governor’s senior staff has been in close touch with public and private university leadership across the state to ensure they are being vigilant about what’s happening on their respective campuses,” according to an email from the governor’s office.
“The Governor’s team has asked universities to communicate with international students about the general resources available to them through the institution as they do this on a regular basis. In addition, we have suggested that they connect impacted students with legal resources that have been in place for several years,” the email read.
The office said that they will remain in close contact with university leadership regarding the situation.
When asked if SIU will be making accommodations regarding the completion of the student’s education, administrators said that they are “assessing options at this time.”
Despite no further details coming out about the situation from the university, the administration did send out an email to its international student body.
Carry your documents with you, exercise discretion at demonstrations and protests, watch the things you say on social media and be wary when traveling, wrote the administration in the email.
Signed by Tina Sickinger, Director of International Student and Scholar Services at SIU, the email was sent at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 28, hours after the university confirmed the revocation.
“We understand that recent news may be unsettling, and we want to reassure you that our office is here to support you,” the email read. “While we do not wish to cause alarm, we are sharing the following guidance to help you stay informed, prepared, and protected during this time.”
This time is one that is increasingly tumultuous for international students, one that has resulted in the revocation of over 300 student visas and several high-profile detentions across the country since January.
SIU and other universities are now forced into the balancing act that is protecting their students while complying with increasingly restrictive immigration policies dealt by President Donald Trump’s administration.
As the spring semester blooms, the SIU student body, specifically international students, say they are now compelled to function under heightened stress, navigating uncertainty around their immigration status and their rights.
SIU’s email went on to emphasize the importance of international students carrying photocopies of immigration documents with them at all times, as well as proof of enrollment at SIU, records of all U.S. residences in which they have lived, and to make sure that their contact information is up to date.
Sickinger suggested that international students “use caution on social media,” remain “mindful of how posts may be perceived,” and encouraged students to “exercise discretion when participating in political demonstrations or protests.”
The university administration also acknowledged in the email that, while peaceful protest is a right, “such activity can sometimes be misinterpreted and may carry risks to your immigration status.”
The revocation at SIU, coupled with the Trump administration’s intensified action against students that protest and post in opposition of the U.S. or Israeli government, has caused concern among the international communities at SIU.
A protest held at Carbondale City Hall on Saturday had been scheduled long before the visa revocation incident, however the purpose for the protest was relevant to the developing situation at SIU, and added to the concerning climate.
The peaceful protest, organized by the Southern Illinois Immigrant Rights Project, advocated for the city of Carbondale to hold sanctuary status for immigrants in southern Illinois.
Protestors asked that the city provide resources to its immigrant population and amplified immigrant voices through speeches on the steps of city hall.
At the protest and elsewhere in international student spaces over the weekend, many SIU students expressed concern regarding the university’s position and place in the matter, anxiously awaiting any formal proclamation from SIU specific to the revocation of their peer’s visa.
While many international students are willing to speak out about these issues, none are willing to give on-the-record interviews in fear of jeopardizing their own visa status and subsequently their education.
Despite their own concerns, many students were much less worried about themselves and more focused on expressing empathy toward the unnamed student whose visa had already been revoked. The shared sentiment among many in the international community is that whatever it is that that student is going through, none of them wants to be the one going through it next.
Activist organizations around southern Illinois have begun to increase their efforts in addressing the worries of students, and have started to coordinate events that spread awareness about the rights of immigrants and those here on visa.
According to the email, the International Support Group at SIU will begin meeting weekly to provide assistance in a “safe and supportive space for international students to discuss challenges, concerns, and experiences with others.”
The end of the email sent to international students Friday provided an extensive list of additional resources that directed international students to websites aimed at helping them navigate the complexities of immigration law.
For more information about the rights of international students and for further support from SIU, visit https://siu.edu/community-of-care/.
The Center for International Education at SIU also has a useful links page that provides further information about the legality surrounding the revocation of student visas, citizenship status or anything related to international student affairs at SIU.
The DE will continue monitoring this situation and asks that if anyone has information regarding the visa revocation incident or any other cases of immigration-related challenges faced by SIU students, please email jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com.
National Outlook
The action on Friday at SIU comes amid a recent push by the Trump administration that has intensified action against international students involved in anti-war activism, specifically those outspoken against the humanitarian crises ongoing in the Middle East as well as those that openly criticize the involvement of the U.S. and Israeli government in said crises.
These actions by the Trump team have sparked significant debate concerning free speech and the potential misuse of governmental power.
In January, Trump issued Executive Order 14188, authorizing the revocation of student visas and deportation of individuals deemed “sympathizers of Hamas.” This directive targets international students participating in pro-Palestinian protests, which the administration alleges are antisemitic and linked to terrorist organizations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that these actions are part of a broader effort to penalize government critics and assert control over higher education institutions, stating that his department is “looking every day” for other visas to pull.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups are preparing legal challenges, asserting that the administration’s actions constitute an unprecedented attack on political speech.
Suits from the ACLU against the administration have already caused the courts to deny some of the administration’s attempted actions.
On Wednesday, the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., denied the administration’s request to lift a temporary restraining order on The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which is an old wartime authority allowing the president to – after a public proclamation – apprehend, restrain and remove citizens of a foreign country that are engaged in a “declared war” or “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States.
The administration’s attempt at using this wartime authority for immigration enforcement coupled with their crackdown and revocation of international student visas is part of what the administration is calling “Measures To Combat Antisemitism.”
Trump previewed these actions at an October 2023 rally where he told the crowd, “Under the Trump administration, we will revoke the student visas of radical, anti-American and antisemitic foreigners at our colleges and universities, and we will send them straight back home.”
Rubio pledged Thursday that more of these arrests would follow, saying student activists pose a threat to U.S. national security, blanketly accusing them of causing damage to university property.
“Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” said Rubio.
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