Trump administration revokes entry visas for UC Davis international students
The federal government has terminated entry visas for 12 international students and recent graduates at UC Davis, which prevents them from staying in the United States and continuing their studies, Chancellor Gary S. May said Saturday.
The UC Davis students were part of a nationwide crackdown on foreign students carried out over the weekend by the Trump administration, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the international students that their visas were terminated and ordered them to leave the country immediately.
May said seven UC Davis students and five recent UC Davis graduates have had their F-1 visas terminated.
“This number may change,” May said in a statement posted online. “Federal agents have not entered our campus, and they have not placed any member of our community in custody.”
He said campus officials learned about the terminated visas through the UC Davis Services for International Students and Scholars unit. He said the federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations.
The Associated Press reported that some of the international students with now canceled visas have been targeted over pro-Palestinian activism or criminal infractions — or even traffic violations, while others have been left wondering why their visas were terminated.
It’s unclear whether the UC Davis students with revoked visas attended any pro-Palestinian protests.
Order to deport students
President Donald Trump in January issued an executive order for federal agents to deport international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Newsweek reported that Trump reportedly told donors during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would crush pro-Palestinian protests and revoke visas for international students who attended them if he won back the White House.
Late last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. State Department has revoked at least 300 visas, mostly over pro-Palestinian protests, in a federal crackdown on the activism of foreign-born residents, UPI reported. Rubio later clarified to reporters that the visas revoked are mostly student visas but some were visitor visas, too.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Trump administration canceled dozens of international student visas at California campuses, including UC Davis, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and Stanford. When asked if the visa cancellations had to do with students who protested or other matters, U.S. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the LA Times in an email “we’d have to look on a case by case basis.”
The University of California president’s office confirmed in a statement on Friday that international students at several UC campuses had their visas terminated.
UC Davis stance on immigration enforcement
May said his campus will maintain its “strong support for our international students.” He said UC Davis officials want all students, staff and faculty to know they support their “ability to work, learn, teach and thrive here,” and international students are “an essential part of this university.” He said UC Davis will continue to advocate at every level of government for their rights and well-being.
“We recognize that these actions are distressing for many in our campus community,” May said in the statement. “We expect this situation to remain fluid, and we continue to closely monitor and assess its implications. We are providing resources for those impacted.”
The UC Davis chancellor said enforcement of immigration laws rests with the federal government and not with campus police. He said UC Davis police officers will not contact, detain, question or arrest anyone solely on the basis of suspected undocumented immigration status or to discover the immigration status of anyone.
He said UC Davis policies, which are are consistent with federal and California law, dictate that campus officials do not release confidential student information including immigration status or related information without a judicial warrant, subpoena, court order or as otherwise required or expressly authorized by law.
His statement posted on the UC Davis website included online links to available resources for campus community members impacted by the federal government’s decision to cancel these student visas.
“We are committed to upholding the law, and we expect local, state and federal agencies to do the same,” May said in the statement. “UC police will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 2:25 PM.
