“At least three” international students at the University of Pennsylvania had their legal immigration status revoked, college administrators said Monday.
University officials added, “At this time, it appears that these terminations are related to immigration status violations and not connected to the 2024 campus protests,” when pro-Palestine activists set up an encampment on the school’s West Philadelphia campus.
Penn did not provide information about the students or detail why their statuses may have been changed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
Students whose statuses have been terminated are no longer able to remain in the United States and could be detained by federal authorities.
While immigration officers did not visit campus in relation to the three students, the university is “aware of reports of encounters with ICE agents at Penn and additional visa revocations,” the school’s vice provost for global initiatives, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, and vice provost for university life, Karu Kozuma, wrote in a message to international students.
“We want to reassure the community that we are monitoring and investigating all reports and providing appropriate support to people when these incidents arise,” Emanuel and Kozuma continued.
Last week, Temple University President John Fry said a visa for a student at the North Philadelphia-based college was revoked “at the discretion of the United States Secretary of State” Marco Rubio.
Officials discovered the change during a “routine review of student visa records,” Fry wrote in a letter to the Temple community. Few specifics were provided, though Fry said the student voluntarily returned to their home county.
Dozens of international students have had their legal statuses terminated in recent days across the country, with some believing they may have been targeted for traffic tickets or other minor violations, according to the Guardian.
Rubio said he has ordered the termination of hundreds of visas since taking office and that he is signing revocation letters on a daily basis. A few of those targeted reportedly participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Emanuel and Kozuma said Penn is providing resources and guidance to the three students whose statuses were terminated.
Penn ranks among top 15 schools in international student enrollment, with more than 11,500 pupils, according to a 2023 Student and Exchange Visitor Program report. U.S. Department of Homeland Security data shows that nearly 50,000 international students are based in Pennsylvania.
“This is an extremely unsettling time for international students and scholars at Penn and in the United States,” Emanuel and Kozuma wrote in their Monday letter.
