Trump admin revokes University of Washington student visas

Five students and four recent graduates at the University of Washington have had their visas canceled by the federal government without prior notice to the university or the students.

University officials said in a statement, “The UW will continue to support them and provide the resources they need to be to able learn, teach and succeed here.”

“We became aware of these actions during recent checks of international student records in the federal government’s Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The SEVIS record states the visa revocations were due to an immigration status violation. No additional information or details were provided, but we have no indication these actions are due to activism or other protected free speech. We are also not aware of any immigration officials coming to UW campuses related to this situation.”

According to the statement, “In a situation like this, the relevant campus’ international student services office immediately reaches out to the affected individual to encourage them to contact the office as soon as possible so that we can connect them with information and resources. These resources include access to legal services available to students as part of their student fees, as well as mental health and academic support.” .

It was revealed on Monday that the federal government also revoked the visas of two Gonzaga University students without notice to the school.

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he was revoking the visas of at least 300 foreign students, warning at the time that if you come to the US to “create a ruckus,” you’ll be kicked out. He told reporters, “It might be more than 300 at this point,” adding, “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.” 

A State Department spokesperson told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI on background, “The United States has zero tolerance for non-citizens who violate US laws. Those who break the law, including students, may face visa refusal, visa revocation, and/or deportation,” adding, “The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to administer and enforce US visas and immigration laws.”

“Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes extensive interagency security vetting. All visa applicants, no matter the visa type and where they are located, are continuously vetted.  Security vetting runs from the time of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards during the validity period of every issued visa, to ensure the individual remains eligible to travel to the United States.”

University spokesperson Victor Balta told Hoffman, “We have no indication these actions are due to activism or other protected free speech.” He added, “Student Legal Services is a service paid for by student fees and donations that is available to all students,” noting that “students levy these fees on themselves.”

KOMO News reported in February that activists rallied on UW's Seattle campus to protest immigration arrests and detentions in Western Washington.

Additionally, the Trump administration’s Education Department previously warned UW and dozens of other schools to “protect Jewish students” or lose federal funding. An October report showed widespread antisemitism on the UW campus. UW was among many schools that settled civil rights complaints with President Joe Biden’s Department of Education in January with no punishments for the universities before President Trump took office.

Pressure has mounted on the University of Washington (UW) to address antisemitism on campus, yet the administration has worked with anti-Israel figures on and off-campus, including a professor known for cheering on violent anti-Israel protests. UW previously caved to the demands of a violent Gaza encampment that took over the campus quad for three weeks and agreed to form the “Faculty Committee on Scholarship of Palestine” to “examine opportunities to deepen our expertise in the scholarship of Palestine into a range of existing academic units.”