All four Fordham international student visas revoked by the federal government have been restored as of 10 a.m. on April 27, according to Fordham’s website.
“At this time, all international visas for Fordham students and scholars are in force,” according to an update posted on Fordham’s webpage for political developments.
Since January, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has revoked thousands of international students’ visas nationwide. On April 25, the government suddenly restored several students’ legal status, the New York Times reported.
Fordham launched the “Updates on Evolving Political Landscape” webpage on April 9 to address rapid and unpredictable changes to federal policy affecting the Fordham community. University President Tania Tetlow met with student press on April 8 to discuss issues affecting the Fordham community related to higher education and immigration.
The Fordham student visa revocations were discovered during one of these routine SEVIS checks.
During the meeting, Tetlow revealed that the Department of State did not notify the university about the four students’ change in visa status. Fordham has been referencing the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a digital federal database with records of student legal status, due to the ongoing executive orders on immigration. The Fordham student visa revocations were discovered during one of these routine SEVIS checks.
“You didn’t used to have to do that, because there was no need to psychically intuit the government had changed its mind about a visa. So yes, we have been checking every morning, and that’s how we found out,” Tetlow said.
The university continues to monitor the status of international student visas and provide resources, including no-cost legal consultations, to impacted individuals, according to Tetlow.
On April 9, Fordham University joined 85 other educational institutions on an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit opposing the revocation of student visas. The brief, in support of the American Association of University Professors, states that a “climate of fear” created by visa revocations will discourage non-citizens from studying and teaching at American universities.
Tetlow also shared at the presser that she had met with other presidents of Jesuit universities to discuss federal funding cuts brought on by the Trump administration.
“People who run universities do it because they love the work; because they’re fueled by students; because they care about what universities can achieve for the world. So I’d say, if anything, right now, yes, we are a tight-knit group.” Tania Tetlow, University President
Tetlow explained that the 27 presidents meet in person twice a year, and more often via Zoom call. Tetlow said the challenges facing higher education have brought university administrators together.
“People who run universities do it because they love the work; because they’re fueled by students; because they care about what universities can achieve for the world. So I’d say, if anything, right now, yes, we are a tight-knit group,” Tetlow said.
On April 22, the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released a public statement in response to actions from the Trump administration regarding higher education. This prompted the collaboration of university and college presidents, administrators and professors from across the nation to come together to respond.
“The unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the statement read.
Tetlow is among 534 educational leaders, including university and college presidents, who have signed the petition.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding,” the statement read.
19 out of the 28 Jesuit universities in the U.S. are represented in the list of signatures.
The Big Ten Academic Coalition announced its alliance to oppose President Donald Trump’s attack on higher education.
The schools included in this coalition are as follows: University of Illinois; Indiana University; University of Iowa; University of Maryland; University of Michigan; Michigan State University; University of Minnesota; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Northwestern University; Ohio State University; University of Oregon; Pennsylvania State University; Purdue University; Rutgers University – New Brunswick; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Southern California; University of Washington; and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The alliance stems from the Trump administration’s threat to freeze federal funding for universities that do not comply with their standards.
The University of Michigan released a “Resolution to Establish a Mutual Defense Compact for the Universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance in Defense of Academic Freedom, Institutional Integrity, and the Research Enterprise.”
The university passed four resolutions, all to do with the faculty’s concerns with the ongoing changes to the higher education system. They included a pledge to protect international students, faculty and staff from unwarranted threats to their visa statuses from the government.
The number of universities fighting back against the Trump administration’s policies on student visas is growing by the day.
This measure overwhelmingly passed with 2,744 votes yes, 203 no and 141 abstentions. This resolution urges the university to establish a legal support system for individuals facing threats.
Harvard was the latest university to receive cuts to their funding, with $2.26 billion currently impacted. The amount is divided into $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts. Other Ivy League institutions affected include Cornell University, Brown University, Columbia University, Princeton University and University of Pennsylvania.
Columbia University was among the first universities to receive drastic cuts to their funding. On Mar. 21, Columbia agreed to rebuild its security measures and protest policies, compromising with the Trump administration and receiving its $400 million in funding back.
At least 10 Florida universities have signed agreements with ICE, giving campus police immigration enforcement powers as of mid-April.
The number of universities fighting back against the Trump administration’s policies on student visas is growing by the day. On April 25, lawyers representing the government in several lawsuits against the federal government spoke on the reasons for the policy change.
According to the Associated Press, Brian Green, a lawyer for a plaintiff in one of the suits, provided a copy of a statement given to him by a government lawyer on the issue of the revocation of international student visas.
“ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations. Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be reactivated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination,” the statement read.
Fordham remains committed to supporting their international student community. Updates will continue to be posted to the Fordham University website.
Additional Reporting by Shelby Williams and Charlie Kuster