More international college students in Colorado have visas revoked

The number of international students at Colorado universities being impacted by visa revocations has nearly doubled since initial actions taken by the Trump administration. Colorado State University confirmed at least 16 students from the Fort Collins campus have had their visas revoked in recent weeks. The University of Colorado confirmed an additional 22 students from their university system have also lost their visas.  

The visa revocations come after the White House announced their intentions and efforts to remove non-Americans from the country who either posed a safety risk to citizens, had violent criminal histories or those who participated in campus protests that were considered either antisemitic or pro-Palestinian.

President Trump campaigned on his intentions to address issues around immigration and more, a major factor that contributed to his victory in the election.

"We are really worried here at our university, because these students are vital," said Ella Smith, a student at Colorado State University.

Smith has publicly expressed her frustrations with the actions of the Trump administration and Colorado State University's reluctancy to defy federal orders from the White House.

She told CBS News Colorado she was making sure to vocalize her concerns on public platforms citing her ability to do so without fear of deportation as a natural born American citizen.

"Students here feel scared. They feel blindsided," Smith said. "They are terrified because they know at any time they can get an email and their visas are revoked."

Smith has been in contact with many of the international students who have had their visas revoked. She said a majority of those impacted are international students from Middle Eastern countries.

"So, we are seeing them having a hard time continuing their education because the time zones," Smith said.

Anna Stepanova, an immigration attorney, said the federal government can take action against those on F1 student visas for otherwise relatively minor offenses.

"First, a visa may be revoked based on a criminal record of any sort," Stepanova said.

However, Stepanova said the federal government does not have the legal ability to revoke a visa for something minor like a non-ticketed interaction with police.

"Just any encounter with law enforcement does not give the government the basis to terminate someone's status," Stepanova said.

Some students have continued to protest in recent months on campus. There were some other students at CSU seen speaking in favor of the deportations and actions by the White House who wished to not speak on camera at that time.

At CSU, Smith continued to echo her belief that the university is not doing enough to protect international students facing deportation.

"The university, we feel, is not fighting for students," Smith said.

"Universities are certified by the government to administer the F-1 program on their campus, and they have some requirements to maintain their certification," Stepanova said. "I's not that their hands are tied, but they are not lawyers and do not represent the government...but there are some obligations they have to the government."

The University of Colorado issued a statement to CBS News Colorado saying there is not much they can do for students once the visas have been revoked. However, they said they are working with the students who are impacted to get them properly moved out of their local housing while also assuring they are able to complete their studies for the semester from wherever they relocate to.

"Most universities are trying to help their students with what they can," Stepanova said. "There is a lot of networking that is going on behind the scenes for sure."