Student Visa Cancellations
The Trump Administration has now canceled the student visas of over 2,000 international students as part of a broader attack on higher education. In Texas, legislators have continued their years long effort to reshape public higher education to conform with their own political ideology. The attacks on students, institutions, and academic freedom have not only silenced university administrators at a critical time, but members of the university community under threat have been given insufficient support and guidance. TSEU is calling on public higher education instructions to provide accurate information about visa revocations; provide useful support to students, staff, and faculty that could be affected; and to protect university community members from these attacks.
1. Transparency – While individual identities must be protected, publicly release accurate information about how many students have been affected and any trends in countries targeted or reasons given for visa revocations. Be honest with international students about the risks to their status posed by traveling internationally to academic conferences or returning home to visit family in the current political climate. Regularly brief all shared governance bodies, including Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government on these topics.
2. Support – Work with all students to ensure that they can continue their studies, whether their visa is revoked or whether they are simply denied entry into the US despite being a citizen or still holding a valid visa or green card. Provide any such affected students with access to ongoing legal support and representation.
3. Sanctuary – To the fullest extent possible under the law, refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement, such as providing access to student records or data, and refuse to allow immigration enforcement onto university campuses and property.