Since 2000, international student attendance at American colleges and universities rose from 300,000 to over one million. It appears that over 200 colleges and universities have at least 10% of their student body made-up of international students (primarily visa category, F-1). Here is a log of steps the administration has taken to impact this flow.
Revocation and reinstatement of 1,800 + student visas
The Statement Department began sometime, perhaps in March, to revoke student visas without giving notice to the educational institution. By late April 280 institutions reported 1,879 revocations; there may have been as many as 4,700.
Secretary of State Rubio said that some 300 student visas have or are being cancelled: “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa“….”I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”(Go here). Also he said, “Rubio alleged that students came “not just to study but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings and cause chaos.”
On April 25, in the face of hundreds of lawsuits and temporary restraining orders, the administration reversed all revocations. The methodology for visa revocations was not fully revealed but appears to be identifying students with often minor infractions such as driving violations. It is possible that Jewish activist groups, such as Betar, had suggested to the administration persons it wanted removed.
All student visa applications under review suspended for a few weeks
On May 27, the State Department temporarily halted review of new student visa applications with the explanation that vetting guidelines needed to be reviewed.
Per Boundless, the State Department cable on June 18, told consular officers to renew the review of student visa applications and conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of each applicant’s online activity. Officers are instructed to look for “hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”
Harvard University
ICE oversees the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. SEVP was created after 9/11 in order to manage international student enrollment. Educational institutions must meet standards of record keeping, instructional programming, accreditation, control over illegal entry and other features to receive certification. Removal of certification normally is the result of audits by ICE. Total and permanent removal of certification has been rare and always associated with some form of visa fraud engineered by the school.
Harvard’s international student enrollment in 2024-2025 was 6,793, or 27% of total enrollment. These figures in 2006-2007 were 3,941 and 20%.
On May 22, the administration revoked Harvard SEVP certification. This came a month after DHS demanded from Harvard information about “criminality and misconduct” of international students. The revocation was justified by DHS as “Harvard’s leadership has created an unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment. Many of these agitators are foreign students. Harvard’s leadership further facilitated, and engaged in coordinated activity with the CCP, including hosting and training members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide.”
On May 23 Harvard obtained a temporary stay.
On June 4, Trump issued a proclamation banning Harvard from enrolling international students. The proclamation cited statutes authorizing the “President to suspend entry of any class of aliens whose entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers.”
This proclamation as well has been suspended by a court. Both federal actions are addressed in one suit, President and Fellows of Harvard College v. DHS, Case No. 1:25-cv-11472 (D. Mass., filed May 23, 2025).
Partial revocation of Chinese student visas
On May 28 the administration began to revoke visas of some Chinese students with the justification that the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting American universities. On June 4 the administration appears to have suspended this revocation. It remains unclear what this was all about.
Post-graduation work visas
About 300,000 international students who graduated from an American college or university are today working under the Optional Practical Training program. It provides up to 12 months of work authorization in a student’s field post-degree. A STEM OPT extension provides an additional 24 months for STEM graduates.
The expected head of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, testified to Congress in May that he wants to terminate OPT.