BOSTON — A recent wave of visa revocations affecting international students at schools across the Boston area is raising questions and leaving some feeling unsettled.
The three colleges, Emerson College, Berklee College of Music, and Boston University, join a growing list of Massachusetts schools where international students have had their student status abruptly revoked.
“The federal government has not explained the reasoning behind these terminations,” a Berklee College of Music spokesperson said after three international students had their visas terminated. The spokesperson also claims the federal government didn’t notify the school in advance of the visa terminations.
A spokesperson from Emerson College says one of their international students had their student status revoked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
“We are working closely with the affected student, who has requested that our community respect their privacy, to provide support during this difficult time,” President Jay Bernhardt wrote in a letter to the Emerson community. “It is important to note that we have no reason to believe that this student was targeted for protest-related activity. We ask for your patience and understanding in the days ahead as we actively manage these challenges while maintaining our unwavering commitment to remaining an inclusive and caring community.”
Boston University confirms they’ve had “some cases of SEVIS termination,” although they didn’t say how many.
“The University immediately notified the affected students, answered their preliminary questions, and provided them with sources to find appropriate immigration counsel,” a BU spokesperson said.
Fifteen students across the five UMass campuses have also had their visas terminated, including six at UMass Amherst, seven students or graduates of UMass Boston, one student set to graduate this spring at UMass Dartmouth, and one at UMass Lowell.
It’s still unclear why many of the visas were terminated.
“I love this city. I love studying here. I love living here, but if it’s going to be issue for the next part of my life then is it even worth it?,” questioned Berklee international student Tommaso Morandi.
Morandi, who’s on a visa from Monza, Italy, was rattled after learning that three fellow international students at Berklee had their visas revoked by the federal government.
“The view on going to study to the U.S. as an abroad student will change, or it has already changed,” said Morandi. “It’s a difficult time.”
The 19-year-old Berklee sophomore is now second guessing returning home to Italy for the summer because he’s worried about getting back into the United States.
“If I want to keep going with my studies here then it would be safer to be stay here,” he said. “I also want to see my family, and I want to go back to my country.”
School officials and immigration attorneys say the latest revocations do not appear to be connected to pro-Palestinian activism.
“We’re getting phone calls from people who’ve received emails from the State Department,” said Vanessa Reynolds with the Law Offices of Giselle M. Rodriguez. “We thought it was going to be attached to protests, but some of these students have never even been to a protest.”
Reynolds does not believe the federal government is adhering to principles of due process and said legal experts are stumped over a ‘common denominator’.
“We’re looking to the schools who have also been taken by surprise,” said Reynolds. “It’s difficult for us to advise on something that we don’t have the rhyme or reason on ourselves.”
Governor Maura Healey said Monday “it is absolutely unacceptable that students in Massachusetts have had their visas revoked with no notice”.
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to a request for comment.
The moves comes amid the Trump Administration’s crackdown on immigration.
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