The impact of the Trump administration’s higher education crackdown is hitting the Bronx, as one international student’s visa was revoked at CUNY Lehman College and four at Fordham University.
The students are among the 1,300-plus current and recent graduates at 210 nationwide colleges that have had their visas revoked or legal status changed as of April 16, according to the trade publication Inside Higher Ed.
Citing a “troubling trend,” Fordham University said that the four students’ visas were revoked between April 4 and April 10 “with no reason provided by the Department of Homeland Security.” The Bronx Times reached out to the department for comment and has not received a response.
Neither Lehman nor CUNY officials would confirm that a Lehman student was affected, but the Bronx Times obtained an April 14 email from within the school stating that a graduate student had his visa revoked and has to leave the country immediately.
The visa pullbacks are part of the Trump administration’s effort to rid higher education of progressive “woke” ideology that it believes stifles conservative viewpoints while broadly restricting immigration into the U.S. under a slew of executive orders.
For some universities, standing up to the Trump administration has meant putting their federally-funded research and programs at risk.
At Harvard University, the Trump administration withdrew billions in federal grants as the institution pushed back against demands to change their curriculum, hiring practices, admissions policies and more. Others, including Columbia University, caved to demands in exchange for the possibility of keeping hundreds of millions in federal funds.
The schools and students respond
Fordham’s website has provided updated numbers on students whose visas were revoked but did not say where the students were from and whether they were known to have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, as was the case with some targeted by the Trump administration. The school offered support to affected students, which could include pro bono legal assistance.
The university said the school and its Office of International Services will offer support and advocacy “within the bounds of the law” for any student whose visa is challenged.
Amid the turmoil, “I want to make clear that Fordham remains committed to our values” as a Christian Jesuit institution of academic freedom, said President Tania Tetlow in a statement.
Tetlow said that federal actions are “moving too fast” to provide updates via email and encouraged students to monitor the school’s webpage titled “Updates on Evolving Political Landscape.”
“Many of you have told me that you are feeling powerless right now and struggling with what to do. I hope you will lean into the Fordham community with ever more empathy and kindness for those who need the support,” she said.
The university is taking a public stand against the administration’s actions. It signed onto an April 9 amicus brief, joining 85 other institutions in saying that Trump’s executive orders have “created a climate of fear” that will keep the best and brightest students away from U.S. colleges and universities, to the detriment of the country’s economy and standing in the world.
Lehman appears be taking a much less public stance. Within the CUNY system, 17 students have had a change in visa status, according to a spokesperson. However, Lehman College’s website and social media do not mention the international student visa situation in either specific or broad terms.
“CUNY is aware that some of our international students have had a change in visa status, and we have been reaching out to students to offer guidance and assistance,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent to the Bronx Times. “CUNY is committed to supporting all members of our community and will continue to provide a range of supports to our immigrant students, employees and other New Yorkers through campus resources like CUNY Citizenship Now!, the nation’s oldest, largest university-based legal assistance program.”
Lehman students say they have received no communication about the Trump administration’s targeting of one of their own. Roberto, a computer science major who declined to have his last name published, told the Bronx Times he heard from advocacy groups about visas revoked within the CUNY system but had no idea it happened on his own campus.
“It’s terrible. It’s really disappointing,” he said.
Roberto said he knew the Trump administration would take many actions he disagreed with, but the situation has “kept getting worse” and “he’s doing a lot of things that are wrong.” He said he hopes to see Lehman and the CUNY system “put their foot down or something” to protect academic freedom.
With Trump’s orders hitting close to home, “I really did not think or didn’t know it was gonna be Lehman,” Roberto said.
This story was updated April 17 at 2:30 p.m.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
