Multiple International University Student Visas Terminated in Michigan

Reports from multiple sources indicate that multiple international student visas have been terminated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at at least two universities in Michigan.

At least four students at the University of Michigan are impacted by the situation and an undefined number of current and former students, described as "several" by CBS News, at Central Michigan University.

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Here's What We Know About the Revoked Visas of International Students in Michigan

According to CBS News, CMU officials nor the students affected were notified when the decision was handed down.

"CMU does not have the ability to reverse the government's decision to terminate a student's visa status, nor can the university's Office of General Counsel provide legal guidance or services to individual students, faculty, and staff," a letter from the school read.

As for the University of Michigan situation, all four students are currently enrolled in the school. University officials, who learned of the revoked visas on Friday, have notified the affected students, but little is known about why their visas were revoked.

As MLive reports, hundreds of international students have had their visa status revoked at multiple universities nationwide within the past two weeks alone. While some have been justified with minor legal infractions, many haven't been given a reason at all.

While the Department of Homeland Security hasn't provided much clarity on the situation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did say on March 28th that student visas are being revoked every day.

"I would argue that the – what I would add to it is what we have seen on campuses across the country where students literally cannot go to school, you cannot – buildings are being taken over, activities going on – this is clearly an organized movement," Rubio said, according to FOX News. "And if you are in this country on a student visa and are a participant in those movements, we have a right to deny your visa. I think it would make sense to deny your visa. We’re going to err on the side of caution. We are not going to be importing activists into the United States."

Central Michigan University reported over 1,500 international students in Fall of 2023. The University of Michigan's student body is approximately 16% international. The most recent data from Statista indicates that Michigan hosted over 33,000 international students in 2022/23, the ninth most in the country that year.

There have been no reports of other Michigan universities and their international students being affected as of the time of writing.