More than a dozen international students at George Mason University have recently had their visas terminated or revoked by the federal government, the university says.
The U.S. departments of state and homeland security apparently changed the statuses of 15 students without any involvement by or prior notice to university officials, GMU President Gregory Washington and Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell told the community yesterday (Tuesday).
According to Washington and Pascarell, no explanations have been given for the visa terminations, which they learned about by monitoring a Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
“As we seek to learn why our students were selected for visa revocation and what decision-making process is being applied by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, we are writing to the George Mason community to affirm our advocacy for the appropriate treatment of all international students enrolled here,” Washington and Pascarell said. “We will do whatever the law permits to assist our students, and we are actively exploring what those options may be.”
GMU’s Office of International Programs and Services is in direct contact with the affected students, the university leaders said, noting that, as far as they’re aware, no federal immigration agents have visited the university’s campuses to talk to or detain students.
The announcement comes a week after more than 200 faculty members approved a resolution urging university administrators to take steps to protect students, faculty and other staff from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
GMU currently has about 4,000 international students at its campuses in Fairfax, Manassas and Arlington. The university also has instructional sites in Herndon, Lorton, Woodbridge, and Front Royal and an international branch in Songdo, South Korea.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the federal government has revoked student visas for at least 1,200 international students and recent graduates at over 200 colleges across the U.S. since early March, according to an Inside Higher Ed analysis.
It remains unclear how authorities are determining which students to target, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference on March 28 that the Trump administration will revoke visas of people who engage in “activities that are counter … to our national interest, to our foreign policy.”
Many targeted students and scholars have spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza, either by participating in protests or expressing their views in op-eds or on social media. One student in Minnesota was grabbed off the street and detained by ICE allegedly for a drunk driving infraction.
The Trump administration has also threatened to pull federal funding and launched investigations into universities, including GMU, under the pretext of combatting antisemitism, which it appears to conflate with any criticism of Israel. The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups see the pressure campaign as an attempt to silence opposition and suppress free speech.
GMU’s Board of Visitors adopted a resolution in late February prohibiting antisemitism and discrimination against people of Israeli origin that critics fear could similarly be used to restrict protests and discussions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The university also faced scrutiny after the FBI and Mason and Fairfax County police raided the home of two students who lead the GMU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine last November. GMU and the law enforcement agencies haven’t commented on why the students are under investigation, but they were trespassed from campus, and the student organization remains suspended.
“The investigation involving two students who were issued criminal trespass notices is ongoing with external law enforcement,” a GMU spokesperson said in a statement to FFXnow. “In addition to the criminal investigation, there are also student conduct proceedings in process. The suspension of the registered student organization is still in effect. George Mason does not comment on ongoing investigations, and does not disclose student information due to FERPA laws.”
Washington and Pascarell’s full message to the community about student visa terminations is below.
Dear fellow Patriots:
In recent days, George Mason University has learned that the U.S. Government has terminated and/or revoked student visas of 15 international students. To date, these terminations have occurred without involvement of or prior notice to the university.
As we seek to learn why our students were selected for visa revocation and what decision-making process is being applied by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, we are writing to the George Mason community to affirm our advocacy for the appropriate treatment of all international students enrolled here. We will do whatever the law permits to assist our students, and we are actively exploring what those options may be. Steps we already have taken to assist affected students include:
- First, our Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS) is in direct contact with the affected students to provide them with support and additional external resources.
- Second, students are being advised to contact their academic dean to see what options they may have to complete their coursework. The Provost’s Office is encouraging faculty to work with students who may be found in these situations, providing as much flexibility as possible.
- And third, the university has reached out to appropriate federal authorities to learn what process is being used to identify students for revocations. So far, no answers have been given. We are also seeking appropriate legal clarity from legal support referred to us by the state Attorney General’s Office.
OIPS is continuing to monitor the situation, and more information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.
We also want to answer questions that have arisen over whether the university has contributed to these federal actions.
To be clear, we have played no role in facilitating these visa terminations. We have not shared confidential student visa status or immigration information with federal authorities. As stated in a number of meetings on this matter, to date, we have not been asked for any information by the current administration to aid an immigration enforcement action. GMU Police officers do not engage individuals solely on the basis of immigration or visa status. Additionally, to our knowledge, federal agents have not been to campus to engage or detain international students.
The university’s only indicator that a student’s visa status has changed is by monitoring the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Only when OIPS staff see the change in a student’s SEVIS record, or perhaps first hear word directly from the students themselves, are we able to learn of a visa revocation.
To our 4,000 international students and our 36,000 American students, we care about your well-being, and we are doing everything possible to maintain a stable, positive scholarly environment for you. We will keep you updated as events warrant.
Sincerely,
Gregory Washington
PresidentRose Pascarell
Vice President for University Life
