Seven individuals affiliated with the University of Chicago—three current students and four recent graduates in the U.S. under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program—were informed yesterday afternoon that their F-1 visas under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) had been revoked by the federal government.
According to an email from Division of the Arts & Humanities Dean of Students Shea Wolfe reviewed by the Maroon, there is no specific cause known for the revocations aside from “unlawful activity,” but they were not clearly connected to pro-Palestine activities or statements.
The affected individuals became aware of this change only after the University’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) conducted an audit of their records of students on visas; the students were not notified by the U.S. government when the visas were terminated. Currently, the students and graduates are in the U.S. illegally and are at risk of being deported, but OIA has indicated that they can either speak with an immigration attorney or leave of their own volition.
On Monday, international students at the University received an email from Nick Seamons, the executive director of OIA, stating that OIA will contact international students directly if their SEVIS status is revoked and that they should reach out if they are informed of a termination by the Departments of State or Homeland Security.
Previously, OIA had issued updated guidance to international students and faculty members regarding travel outside of the United States, informing them that they should take caution when traveling outside of the U.S. and to reconsider nonessential travel.
“Re-entry is not a guarantee [for noncitizens] and [is] at the discretion of the U.S. government,” OIA wrote.
Additionally, OIA urged students to be aware of scammers who might use the threat of deportation to demand money. “The U.S. government will not call you asking for money in connection with your visa or status. If you receive such a call, please hang up immediately and do not provide any personal information.”
When asked for a statement, the U.S. Department of State referred the Maroon to an April 8 press briefing, where Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to share any information on why the department had terminated the visas of at least 300 international students nationwide.
“We don’t go into the rationale for what happens with individual visas. What we can tell you is that the department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we’ll continue to do so,” Bruce said.
In a statement, the University told the Maroon it was “committed to continued deep engagement and active exchange with international students, scholars, and visitors. The University has a long history of supporting America’s position as a magnet for talented people from across the globe, and we will continue to work to assist the members of our international community.”
The University also said that “OIA has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys.”
UChicago Faculty Forward, the union representing non-tenure-track faculty, issued a statement criticizing the visa revocations.
“These visa revocations are just the latest in a series of authoritarian, unconstitutional, and unconscionable moves by the Trump White House to target and harass international students and immigrants, colleges and universities, people exercising their rights to freedom of speech, and other groups this administration claims are its enemies,” the statement read.
Faculty Forward urged the University to provide support for affected students, including legal advice and assistance from OIA, along with mounting “a forceful public stand against these authoritarian and chilling actions by the federal government.”
The seven UChicago-affiliated individuals are among a group of more than 300 enrolled at various universities who have been informed that their visas had been revoked for reasons ranging from traffic infractions to participation in pro-Palestine protests. Affected campuses include private institutions like Harvard University and Stanford University as well as public institutions like the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California system.
On April 8, a representative from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign confirmed to Illinois Public Media News that several of its international students had their visas revoked. Students at Northwestern University and Southern Illinois University have also had their visas revoked in the past week.
Last month, several students, including Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University, Rumeyesa Ozturk at Tufts University, and Momodou Taal at Cornell University, were detained by immigration enforcement or targeted for deportation following their public statements or alleged participation in activism related to the Israel–Hamas war.
Additionally, Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it would begin monitoring social media feeds for evidence of antisemitic activity as grounds to deny benefit requests to immigrants.
This is a developing story. We ask anyone who has knowledge of visa revocations or other immigration-related issues to please contact us at editor@chicagomaroon.com or to submit a tip through our tip form. The Maroon protects source information, and your name and contact information will only be seen by the paper’s editors-in-chief and managing editor.
Evgenia Anastasakos and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon contributed reporting.
David Brendan Burke / Apr 20, 2025 at 1:58 pm
It is important not to adopt the Trump administration’s framing here. Mr. Gluck writes about the accusation of “unlawful activity”. He then says “but they were not clearly connected to pro-Palestine activities or statements.
That comment however implies that cancelling the visas would have been justified if the students were pro-Palestine.
It’s probably not what he meant, but it’s so important to be clear. Having opinions and making statements should never be a crime.
John Welch / Apr 15, 2025 at 11:07 am
Maroon, keep shining light into this Trump step toward totalitarianism. (I wrote heavily for the Maroon in 1966-67, and became co-managing editor in June 1967. )
current student / Apr 13, 2025 at 10:22 pm
I have never seen cowardice like what UChicago admins are showing right now. Absolutely shameful. Go look at Alivisatos’ vague, spineless statement 6 days after the abduction of Mahmoud Khalil. Then go look at what he said since 7 U of C students had their visas revoked, along with countless international students across the state and country – oh, wait, he still hasnt said a goddamned thing. Very efficiently obeyed in advance with regard to DEI though.
Question: might pending abduction by ICE terrorists *slightly* impede students’ ability to engage in free inquiry? When the fascists are done with me and my peers and professors and when they finally come for the admins, I won’t be losing much sleep over it.