7 University of Chicago students' visas revoked
Seven University of Chicago students' visas were revoked, school officials confirmed on Wednesday.
University of Chicago officials confirmed that the federal government terminated the F-1 visa status of three current students and four recent graduates.
The university said the Office of International Affairs "has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys."
The school released the following statement:
"The University of Chicago is 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."
UChicago has not specified why the students' visas were revoked, but hundreds of students around the country are in similar positions.
Meanwhile it seems that it was not the federal government, but the U of C that informed the students. The university found out while checking its students' visa statuses.
This has led to renewed concerns over the legality of such revocations.
"Right now, I think for all non-U.S. citizens, it's a very scary time to be in this country," said Genevieve Lakier, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School, "because you have no idea why the federal government is doing this or if they are going to target you next."
Lakier said the revocations now on her own campus are concerning, and could face a legal challenge.
"It's a basic principle of a rule of law system that when you change a very significant legal right or status, you tell someone what you're doing, and you explain why you are doing it," Lakier said. "As far as we can tell, there's very little of that happening."
A U of C student newspaper, the Chicago Maroon, posted to social media that it had reviewed an email in which Division of the Humanities Dean of Students Shea Wolfe wrote, "[The Office of International Affairs] and [Campus and Student Life] are confident that these revocations were not protest-related, but because there was some sort of 'unlawful activity,' which could be as innocuous as a speeding ticket."
A now-naturalized American citizen, originally from South Africa, Lakier said the campus benefits from international students.
"Foreign students bring so much," she said. "They bring a wealth of different perspectives, views, understandings, skills."
Student visa termination growing nationwide
Visas have been revoked for students nationwide under the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, The University of Pennsylvania said three international students studying in the U.S. on school-sponsored visas had their immigration status terminated by the Department of Homeland Security.
On the same day, Officials at the University of California in Berkeley on Tuesday confirmed that 13 additional members of the campus community had their visas terminated.
Michigan State University, University of Colorado, and University of Michigan are also among the growing list of schools reporting revoked student visas.
This week, the U.S. State Department sidestepped questions about how these revocations are issued.
"We don't discuss individual visas because of the privacy issues involved," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. "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."
CBS News Chicago has asked to speak to U of C administrators, and has contacted the State Department to find out why the students' visas were revoked.
A State Department spokesperson said due to privacy and other considerations, as well as visa confidentiality, the department generally will not comment on specific cases of visa revocations. However, the spokesperson said every prospective traveler to the U.S. undergoes interagency security vetting, and there is zero tolerance for people entering the country and then violating the law or threatening public safety.
