Fordham University joined 85 other educational institutions on an amicus brief in support of the American Association of University Professors’ lawsuit against the President Trump administration’s revocation of academic visas on April 9.
The brief argues that the State Department’s revocation of over 500 visas of noncitizen faculty and students has created a climate of fear on campuses nationwide. The brief predicts that fewer people will seek to teach and study in the U.S. from abroad, harming American academic communities, research development and the economy at large.
The American Association of University Professors sued the State Department on March 25 on the grounds that the revocation of visas violated First Amendment rights of noncitizen students and faculty.
On March 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government was targeting noncitizens who are “taking activities that are counter to our national interest,” including on-campus student protests. While some targeted noncitizens are outspoken pro-Palestinian activists, others are not associated with that movement.
Federal agents have carried out high-profile arrests of student activists, such as the March 8 detention of Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, and silently cancelled the visas of hundreds of other students without notifying the student or their institution. The brief argues that such surreptitious revocations make it difficult for students and institutions to comply with federal law.
The federal government has revoked the visas of at least two Fordham students, according to University President Tania Tetlow. In both instances, Tetlow said the University had to inform the affected students their visas were revoked.
On April 9, Tetlow announced a page on Fordham’s website to track political developments in an email to the Fordham community. The page includes resources for international students and procedures for interactions between law enforcement agencies and Fordham community members. In the email, Tetlow addressed the two students whose visas have been revoked, writing “know that we at Fordham will do everything within our power to have your back.”
The brief was filed by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group of higher education leaders that support the civic rights of international and immigrant students in the United States.
