The University System of Maryland backed a lawsuit this week against U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration’s cancellations of international student visas.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Association of University Professors, comes after colleges across the country have reported that international students have had their legal status unexpectedly terminated, the Associated Press reported. Some University of Maryland international students have had their visas revoked, this university confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
Eighty-six higher education institutions and associations — including the university system — signed under the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration’s amicus brief in support of the American Association of University Professors’ lawsuit.
“The [Trump Administration] policy has created a climate of fear among non-citizens at American colleges and universities, ” the brief read. “This climate of fear will repel international students, scholars, and other non-citizens from attending or teaching at American colleges and universities — all of which will harm the United States in multiple ways.”
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. Federal District Court of Massachusetts asks for a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration’s arrests, detention and deportation of students and faculty members who “engaged in constitutionally-protected activities,” according to a news release by the alliance on Wednesday.
Many international students, scholars and others connected to American universities have faced deportation because of their advocacy, often criticizing Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, according to the Associated Press.
[Federal government revokes visas from some UMD international students]
This university declined to comment on the number of students who had their visas revoked.
This university’s International Students and Scholars Services Office is communicating with impacted people to provide information specific to their situation, this university wrote in a statement to The Diamondback Tuesday.
This university has more than 4,990 international students, according to the International Students and Scholars Services office. International students make up more than 40 percent of this university’s graduate student population, according to the graduate admissions website.
Other Maryland higher education institutions have also had their students’ visas revoked.
The University of Maryland Baltimore County announced four students had their visas cancelled, The Baltimore Banner reported Tuesday. Johns Hopkins University confirmed Friday that several dozens of their students’ visas have been revoked, the outlet reported on Friday.
Two other Maryland institutions, Goucher College and Loyola University Maryland, signed the brief filed on Wednesday.
The university system did not immediately respond to The Diamondback’s request for comment.
