Student visa revocations tied to a broader federal sweep have reached Harvard University, with three students and two recent graduates identified during a routine review by the Harvard International Office (HIO). According to The Harvard Crimson, the university informed its international student community via email, without naming the individuals involved. The action follows the Trump administration’s increased scrutiny of international students allegedly linked to pro-Palestine activism.
The HIO said it learned of the visa cancellations through standard records checks. “We are not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe,” the office wrote.
University officials across the US have reported similar cases, often uncovered through internal database updates without prior notification from federal agencies. In certain instances, affected individuals have also lost their legal residency status, forcing immediate departure from the US.
While many cases are reportedly linked to political expression, such as pro-Palestine statements, others involve unrelated incidents like traffic violations. The visa policy enforcement comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on March 27 that over 300 visas had been revoked in recent weeks. On April 5, he added that all visas held by South Sudanese citizens would be cancelled.
Members of Harvard’s top governing body, the Harvard Corporation, appeared unaware of the issue when approached by student journalists on campus. “We’ve been in meetings all day,” said Corporation fellows Carolyn A. “Biddy” Martin and Shirley M. Tilghman.
Elsewhere, Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national, lost her visa after being arrested by US immigration officials. Authorities accused her of engaging in “activities in support of Hamas.” Five international students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst also had their visas revoked in the past week.
In a separate incident, Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova, a Russian citizen, had her visa cancelled in February for failing to declare frog embryos upon arrival. She is currently detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana.
“Harvard deeply values the international students and scholars who travel here to learn and grow,” the HIO email stated. “The talent they bring to campus each day increases our ability to advance world-class discovery in fields that have meaningful impact on people’s lives, while creating positive relationships and discourse that expand the horizons of people across our community.”
The HIO said it learned of the visa cancellations through standard records checks. “We are not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe,” the office wrote.
University officials across the US have reported similar cases, often uncovered through internal database updates without prior notification from federal agencies. In certain instances, affected individuals have also lost their legal residency status, forcing immediate departure from the US.
While many cases are reportedly linked to political expression, such as pro-Palestine statements, others involve unrelated incidents like traffic violations. The visa policy enforcement comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on March 27 that over 300 visas had been revoked in recent weeks. On April 5, he added that all visas held by South Sudanese citizens would be cancelled.
Members of Harvard’s top governing body, the Harvard Corporation, appeared unaware of the issue when approached by student journalists on campus. “We’ve been in meetings all day,” said Corporation fellows Carolyn A. “Biddy” Martin and Shirley M. Tilghman.
Elsewhere, Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national, lost her visa after being arrested by US immigration officials. Authorities accused her of engaging in “activities in support of Hamas.” Five international students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst also had their visas revoked in the past week.
In a separate incident, Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova, a Russian citizen, had her visa cancelled in February for failing to declare frog embryos upon arrival. She is currently detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana.
“Harvard deeply values the international students and scholars who travel here to learn and grow,” the HIO email stated. “The talent they bring to campus each day increases our ability to advance world-class discovery in fields that have meaningful impact on people’s lives, while creating positive relationships and discourse that expand the horizons of people across our community.”
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