TEMPE, AZ — At least eight students at Arizona State University have had their visas revoked, the university said, as part of the latest immigration policy change applied to international students by the Trump Administration.
The revocations for visa holders at Arizona State University is the latest example of the Trump Administration revoking visas for international students with little to no warning and with unclear legal standing. The news was first reported by Arizona Luminaria.
"I can say that these students are definitely afraid and concerned, confused in some cases," said Michael Kintscher, an ASU PhD student and president of United Campus Workers of Arizona.
Kintscher, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were contacted by some of the international students. Kintscher says they've seen some of the letters the students received informing them they had lost the ability to stay in the United States, but the letters gave little clarity on what prompted the students to lose their legal status in the country.
Kintscher said the letters are from the U.S. consulates of the their home countries, meaning the revocation came from the federal government and not ASU.
"We don't have any official reason that's been given to us," Kintscher said. "It does not appear the universities are even aware of this happening until the students come forward."
Involvement in pro-Palestinian protests appeared to be factors in why current and former international students in other parts of the country have lost their visas.
Former Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil has been held for nearly a month by federal immigration authorities, who told Khalil that his student visa had been revoked. Khalil, who has already graduated from Columbia, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Judicial review of Khalil's arrest is pending after a federal judge intervened in his attempted deportation.
While some initially speculated the ASU students were involved in protests that led to the arrests of more than 70 people on campus last April, the university told ABC15 the students were not losing their visas over protests.
"[The revocations] stem from what appear to be, in most cases, various legal infractions," an ASU spokesperson wrote via email. The university did not specify what those legal infractions might be, or how serious they were.
The charges against the pro-Palestine protesters at ASU in 2024 have been dismissed without prejudice by a judge.
Kintscher said they are not aware of any criminal records or charges that have been brought against the students: "I don't believe that many, if any of these students, have actually been involved in protest or activism work."
Other state universities have been less forthcoming than ASU. Northern Arizona University stated in an email Friday that "if needed, NAU is engaging with our students on an individual basis."
The University of Arizona stated it would not address if any students or faculty have had visas revoked, citing a respect for privacy.
Kintscher said there may be even more students whose visas have been revoked, but those students have not come forward yet.
"These international students, they're our friends, our peers, our coworkers, right?" they said. "I could be sitting in a lab one day and find out that the person sitting next to me or across the aisle from me just doesn't return."
The news of the revoked visas comes after ASU's International Students and Scholars Center warned visa holders to carry their immigration documents with them at all times, and to make their social media accounts private.
Kintscher said Arizona State has explicitly offered any international students whose visas have been revoked access to a free legal consultation "at the very least," with Kintscher adding that United Campus Workers of Arizona has been working to compile a list of publicly available resources for concerned students.
In a statement, ASU stated it "remains committed to fully supporting all affected international students in completing their degree programs."
