A growing number of international students attending Texas universities have had their visas revoked by the U.S. government as part of a nationwide crackdown on student activism at public campuses.
According to data compiled by Inside Higher Ed and Texas Newsroom partners around the state, at least 86 students and recent graduates in Texas have had their legal status changed by the U.S Department of State over the last few weeks. They're among more than 600 people nationwide caught in a wave of visa revocations.
At Texas A&M University, officials confirmed that at least 15 international students have had their visas revoked. Similarly, at least 35 students and graduates at the University of Texas have had their visas canceled at campuses in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso. At least four students at Texas Woman's University, three at Texas Tech University and 27 students at the University of North Texas are facing similar revocations.
In an interview with Houston Public Media, Houston-based attorney Jarred Slater said two international students reached out to him this week for representation: one from the University of Houston and another from Webster University in San Antonio.
The total number of impacted students is unknown, as many universities have declined to provide specifics to journalists. Texas has one of the largest populations of international students in the country, with more than 76,000, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Schools like Rice University and the University of Houston both declined to give any numbers, although a UH spokesperson said that "a small number" of international students have been impacted. Additionally, while many universities haven't commented on individual cases, officials have confirmed that they've been in contact with impacted students.
"We are communicating with affected students about the changes in their status as soon as possible," a UT Dallas administrator said.
In many cases, the federal government has offered little to no explanation for the visa revocations. Students often receive abrupt notifications and are thrust into sudden deportation proceedings. School officials have confirmed that some Texas students have already left the country.
This comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in late March that the federal government would revoke the visas of students who participate in any movement that vandalizes or causes disruptions on university campuses.
"We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses," Rubio said.
More than a hundred people at UT Austin were arrested last year after students erected encampments in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Similar demonstrations happened at UT Dallas and Texas A&M; at least 20 students were arrested at UT Dallas.
During a virtual press conference on Thursday, Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project, said she believed that the growing number of revocations could become a slippery slope as the federal government continues deportation efforts.
"It started with students who were expressing certain kinds of political speech, but then I think it sort of opened the door to looking at student visas in general," Shebaya said.
A spokesperson for the State Department declined to give specifics on exactly how many visas are expected to be revoked "because the process is ongoing," adding that "the number of revocations is dynamic."
"Those who break the law, including students, may face visa refusal, visa revocation, and/or deportation," the spokesperson said. "The Department revokes visas every day in order to secure America's borders and keep our communities safe — and will continue to do so."
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