The Trump administration has canceled dozens of international student visas at California campuses, including UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and Stanford, university leaders, students, and faculty at campuses.
At UCLA, the revocations hit at least nine international students, faculty and student groups said in a statement. It’s unclear whether any students were detained by immigration authorities or why their visas were canceled.
At UC San Diego, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a campus message that five students had their visas revoked. He said the university received the notification “without warning.” Khosla said a sixth student was “detained at the border, denied entry, and deported to their home country.”
“The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations,” Khosla wrote. “The students have been notified and we are working directly with them to provide support.”
Describing a “fluid situation,” a UC Berkeley spokesperson on Saturday said the school had identified at least six revoked visas. The spokesperson said four were for current undergraduate and graduate students. Two others were for recent graduates.
At UC Davis, officials said visas for seven students and five recent graduates were terminated.
“This number may change. Federal agents have not entered our campus, and they have not placed any member of our community in custody,” a university statement said on Saturday.
A UC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that the visa actions also affected UC Irvine. Campus spokespeople did not respond to a request for more details.
At Stanford, officials said four students and two people who recently graduated had their visas revoked. A university statement did not identify the reasons the students lost their visas or whether they faced arrests.
A University of California statement said that “several” campuses had students who lost their visa status but did not offer more information.
The statement said UC is “aware that international students across several of our campuses have been impacted by recent SEVIS terminations,” referring to the U.S. government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database. “...
"We continue to monitor and assess its implications for the UC community and the people affected. We are committed to doing what we can to support all members of our community as they exercise their rights under the law. In doing that, the university will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws.”
A spokesperson for USC, where the more than 17,000 international students make up the largest foreign student population in the state, declined to say whether students on campus were part of the visa sweep. “The university does not disclose information about the status of individual student visas,” a university statement said.
The actions are part of mass visa cancellations that appear to have unfolded at campuses across the country. Other campuses to announce visa revocations include the University of Kentucky, the University of Oregon and Ohio State University.
While many actions by the Trump administration to cancel student visas and arrest students last month targeted pro-Palestinian activists, the reasons for these changes were unclear.
Asked whether the visa cancellations had to do with students who protested or other matters, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an email, “we’d have to look on a case by case basis.” She did not reply to a question about the number of visas revoked in California or how many of the state’s campuses were affected.
Student government leaders at UCLA acknowledged campus concerns in a joint statement issued late Friday.
“We understand these are deeply uncertain times... To every international student reading this: You belong here. Your presence at UCLA makes this campus stronger, richer, and more beautiful. Our offices will continue to stand, speak, and advocate for you — loudly and unapologetically,” said the statement from Undergraduate Student Assn. Council President Adam Tfayli and International Student Representative Syed Tamim Ahmad.
The visa revocations at UC San Diego involved students who were not involved in pro-Palestinian protests, said the UC official.
Last month, the Trump administration began revoking student visas at high-profile campuses, including Columbia, Cornell, George Washington, Tufts , and other universities where it alleged that the students affected were antisemitic and aligned with terrorists because of their pro-Palestinian writings or protests.
The administration accused the students of supporting Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, and said they were threats to national security and U.S. foreign policy.
