By SUSAN JONES

Nationwide, more than 1,000 international students or recent grads have had their visas cancelled or their legal residency status changed by the Trump administration, according to data collected by the Chronicle of Higher Education. And the number is likely much higher, since many schools did not give out how many in their community were impacted.

Last week, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon joined the list of nearly 100 schools whose students have been targeted. Pitt Provost Joe McCarthy sent a message to the University community on April 9 saying that one Pitt graduate student and two recent Pitt graduates have had their visas revoked and their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminated by the federal government. Since then two Pitt undergrads and another recent graduate also have been targeted, Chancellor Joan Gabel said at Senate Council on April 17.

She said she knows there’s a “significant amount of concern right now” for international scholars and students. “I want to express how strongly I agree with this concern, having been an international student myself, overseas, back in the day, and understanding the extent of that vulnerability.”

CMU said the actions have impacted two current students and five recent graduates. West Virginia University said three students were impacted. Penn State said some its students have had their visas revoked, but wouldn’t say how many. The Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna told to WTAJ that 22 Penn State students have had their statuses revoked.

The schools on the list range from high profile, like Harvard with eight people affected, to other less-famous locations, like Northwest Missouri State University. The school of just over 9,000 students said it had the 43 current and former students impacted — the most of any school that revealed a specific number.

Pitt’s response

Pitt has not said the country of origin for the community members targeted by the State Department or the reasons given for their visas being revoked. 

McCarthy’s email said: “At the University of Pittsburgh, our international populations are a vital and vibrant part of our university community, and their continued well-being is a top priority. We recognize that this news has created anxiety and fear among our international populations, and we take these concerns very seriously.”

Nationwide, many students only found out their visas were revoked after someone at their school noticed their SEVIS status had changed. There also has been story after story about students who have no idea why they were targeted. Pitt said it was given no reason why its community members’ status changed.

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’s war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges. But for some those charges are minor or nonexistent.

The Tribune-Review reported that at hearing April 15 for two of the people targeted at CMU, one was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly behavior in November on the South Side, but the charges were dropped and his record expunged. The other was pulled over for a traffic violation in 2019 in Tennessee, and the case was dismissed. Both said they had for-credit internships set up for this summer, which they won’t be able to do if they don’t have visas.

Before the two men testified in U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV’s court, their lawyer, Adrian Roe, asked that they be given “safe harbor” between Roe’s office and the courthouse. Stickman then forbade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting the plaintiffs as they walked to the courthouse and later issued an order barring Homeland Security and ICE from beginning deportation proceedings, the Trib reported.

Several other students have filed suit to stop the actions by the State Department, but it was unclear what the status is for those in affected in the Pitt community. Two international students at Gannon University in Erie are suing the Trump administration for revoking their ability to study in the United States, the Post-Gazette reported today. In other similar cases:

• A federal judge last week granted a temporary restraining order to restore the status of a Ph.D. student at Dartmouth College.

• A federal judge in Wisconsin issued a similar order on April 15, ruling the government could not take steps to detain or revoke the visa of a University of Wisconsin-Madison gradate student.

• Two graduate students at Montana State University, Bozeman, were granted a temporary restraining order by a federal judge in Montana on April 15, restoring their terminated legal status and shielding them from efforts to remove them from the U.S.

McCarthy said in his message that Pitt is in “regular contact with our documented international populations, students and scholars through our Office of International Services (OIS). Whenever OIS becomes aware of a change in a community member’s visa status, that team immediately reaches out to the impacted individual to provide support and resources. In the cases of all three of the currently impacted individuals, members of the OIS team have been in direct contact to offer support to the individuals as well as the affected department and school.”

Pitt Senate President Robin Kear said at the April 9 Faculty Assembly meeting that those who have had their visas revoked “have received advice from the (OIS) and the Office of University Counsel, and I believe that we all want to do everything that we can support our international students, faculty and staff.”

If there is an immigration-related emergency after hours, Pitt Police should be called, Kear said,  “and then the police would get in touch with (OIS) after hours.”

In the spring 2025 semester, Pitt enrolled 4,576 international students, according to University records. This is around 13% of the total student population on all campuses in fall 2024. The students came from 129 different countries. China and India led the way with 1,890 and 879 students at Pitt, respectively.

Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year, according to the AP, with more than half from China and India. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and often, they pay full price.

The other concern for international students is that ICE or other federal agencies would show up on campus to arrest those without visas or who they say their presence could pose, “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

In several high profile cases, students or recent grads have been arrested by masked or hooded federal agents and whisked off to unknown locations. On April 14, Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident and green card holder for at least 10 years, was arrested when he showed up at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service office in Vermont for what he thought was an interview in his citizenship process. Mahdawi — like Mahmoud Khalil, one of the first people targeted on a student visa — was a Palestinian student at Columbia University and a prominent face during the protests last year against Israel’s policy in Gaza.

Some at Pitt have raised concerns that there was no broad communication about what to do if ICE officials showed up on campus. McCarthy’s message said, “We understand the prevailing concern as to whether immigration agencies are on Pitt’s campus. At this time, we are not aware of any immigration agencies or authorities visiting our campus for enforcement purposes. Recently, specific instructions were shared with deans, presidents and University center directors regarding how to coordinate with University resources if such a visit occurs.”

Pitt’s Office of International Studies also posted a warning for students last week: “Today, USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) posted the following announcement: DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism. The announcement indicates that USCIS will begin to review the social media accounts of individuals requesting an immigration benefit, such as permanent residence.”

Explaining visa status changes

Students on an F-1 visa must show they have enough financial support for their course of study in the U.S. They have to remain in good standing with their academic program and are generally limited in their ability to work off-campus during their academic program.

If a student’s SEVIS record is terminated, it means their legal status as a student in the U.S. is effectively ended. This typically requires the student to either leave the U.S. or attempt to reinstate their status. In the past, the student’s SEVIS status was often terminated by the school they were attending if they were no longer a student in good standing.

Historically, students who had their visas revoked were allowed to keep their legal residency status and complete their studies. The lack of a valid visa only limited their ability to leave the U.S. and return, something they could reapply for with the State Department. But if a student has lost residency status, they must leave immediately or risk detention by immigration authorities.

International students have been able to work in the U.S. after graduation, primarily through the Optional Practical Training program. This program allows F-1 visa holders to work in their field of study for a limited time, usually 12 months, with extensions possible for certain STEM majors. 

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.

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