Current News

/

ArcaMax

Trump Administration cancels dozens of student visas at NYU, CUNY, other NY schools

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on

Published in News & Features

New York colleges are reporting student visas have been abruptly revoked by the Trump administration — with at least some 50 international students affected statewide as part of a nationwide crackdown on who gets to study on American campuses, the Daily News has learned.

In recent days, public university systems and private colleges reported that federal immigration authorities have quietly terminated legal statuses without any notice. Instead, the schools have had to check a government database on their own. In many cases, the students are now at risk of being deported.

For weeks, the impacted students appeared to have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, but administrators now are saying more broadly that visas are also being revoked for minor infractions, such as traffic violations. Others say they have not received an explanation. The higher education sector has mostly refrained from providing details on the visa cancellations, citing federal student privacy laws.

“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live & study in the United States of America,” Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement last month.

At least 17 international students at the City University of New York have had a change in visa status, plus 21 others at the State University of New York. The counts were current as of Wednesday afternoon.

“CUNY is aware that some of our international students have had a change in visa status, and we have been reaching out to students to offer guidance and assistance. CUNY is committed to supporting all members of our community,” read a school statement, pointing to campus resources such as CUNY Citizenship Now!, a legal assistance program.

“SUNY is monitoring this evolving situation and working with campuses to ensure our students know their rights, are referred to the New York State Office for New Americans for any needed legal support, and understand their options to continue their education,” added a SUNY statement.

NYU President Linda Mills and Provost Georgina Dopico wrote in an email to students and faculty late Tuesday that “members of our own community are among those affected.” A NYU spokesman did not specify how many students were impacted.

 

“Please take care of yourselves, and of one another. We are a community and each of us will need to lean on each other during this time. Take advantage of your local support system and please contact the many resources we have provided — they are here to help,” the NYU administrators said.

At Fordham University, two students have had their visas revoked, according to school communications. The first was an undergraduate who seemingly had no connection to the pro-Palestinian protests, university spokesman Bob Howe said.

“We’re trying to provide as much support as we can because it is an unimaginable situation, and we are so upset on his behalf,” President Tania Tetlow told the student newspaper, The Fordham Ram.

The terminations come on top of several visas and green cards at Columbia University, including four in the past few days, The News previously reported. Student protesters have accused the university of not doing enough to keep them safe from federal immigration enforcement, going so far as to chain themselves last week to the campus gates.

Immigration authorities had previously targeted three Columbia students believed to be involved with pro-Palestinian activism, including the high-profile detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who served as a negotiator during campus protests last spring.

_____


©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus