Trump revokes visas, legal residency of international students at Michigan universities 

The Trump administration has abruptly rescinded the legal residency status and visas of dozens of international students at some of Michigan’s biggest universities as part of a broader crackdown on immigrants.

MICHIGAN—International students studying at several universities across Michigan have been thrust into legal limbo after the Trump administration abruptly revoked their visas and legal residency status without providing any notice or clear explanation for the federal changes. 

Students at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Saginaw Valley State University are among those who’ve had their visas revoked, and in some cases, their legal residency status stripped from them.  

In response, university officials have been scrambling to notify the affected students for themselves—and sounding the alarm over what appears to be a new level of government scrutiny from the Trump administration that’s leaving their students vulnerable to deportation.

“This news is alarming and may be especially difficult for our international students, faculty and staff, who are valuable, important members of our community,” Central Michigan University President Neil MacKinnon wrote in a campuswide email sent out on Friday afternoon. 

What’s going on?

Last week Central Michigan University announced that several current and former students had been stripped of their right to be in the country. Officials there reportedly billed the situation as “alarming”—particularly because they had only found out about the situation after they checked a federal database and happened to notice changes to their students’ immigration status. 

This week, the University of Michigan announced that the US Department of Homeland Security had also revoked the visas of four of its current students, including one student who has since fled the country. Michigan State University also recently confirmed that an unnamed number of its international students have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration.

Saginaw Valley State University also reports that at least one student visa has been revoked. And Grand Valley State University identified at least two students who had their visas revoked.

Students who’ve had their visas revoked are usually allowed to keep their legal residency status and complete their studies. The lack of a valid visa typically only limits their ability to leave the US and return—something they could reapply for with the State Department. But the Trump administration is increasingly also stripping student visa holders of their residency status, which means they must leave the US immediately or risk detention by immigration authorities.

The list of other colleges that have discovered students have had their legal status terminated includes Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and Ohio State University, the Associated Press reports. 

Why is this happening?

The Trump administration has been actively targeting students who have been involved with pro-Palestinian activism or speech—with a few high-profile detentions of students, including Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was a leader of protests at Columbia University.

It’s not immediately clear why federal officials suddenly decided to revoke the visas of the international students studying at several colleges and universities in Michigan. But more schools have been seeing visas stripped from students with no known connection to protests.

In some cases, past infractions such as traffic violations have been cited. Some colleges have also said the reasons still remain unclear to them—but they are actively seeking answers.

What happens now?

Some students could reportedly face deportation if they don’t leave the country willingly.

Higher education leaders worry the Trump administration’s actions could have a chilling effect on international education in the United States. And the lack of clarity of what is leading to visa revocations can also create a sense of fear among students, Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, told the Associated Press.

“The very public actions that are being taken by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security around some of these students, where they are removing these students from their homes or from their streets, that’s not usually done unless there is a security issue when a student visa is revoked,” she said. “The threat of this very quick removal is something that’s new.”

In messages to their campuses, colleges have said they are asking the federal government for answers on what led to the visa terminations. Others have emphasized travel precautions, recommending students carry their passports and other immigration documents with them.

“What you’re seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories,” said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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