Seven people at the University of Maryland have had their legal status in the U.S. unexpectedly terminated as of Wednesday, this university confirmed in a statement to The Diamondback on Thursday.
Nearly 5,000 students at this university have student visas, according to the statement. Eighty-four percent of these students have an F-1 visa, the statement read, which grants international people a temporary stay in the U.S. to attend an accredited academic institution.
More than 1,000 international students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems across the country have had their student visas revoked in recent weeks, the Associated Press reported Thursday. International students at other Maryland universities have also had their visas revoked.
[Federal government revokes visas from some UMD international students]
Johns Hopkins University confirmed that 37 international students have had their visas revoked, The Baltimore Banner reported Tuesday. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County announced four students had their student visas revoked, the outlet reported.
These terminations of legal status come after U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to deport international students who are involved in pro-Palestinian protests, according to the Associated Press. Some students have been targeted over traffic violations or criminal infractions, the outlet reported.
[USM backs lawsuit to stop student visa cancellations]
The University System of Maryland, along with 86 other higher education institutions and associations, backed a lawsuit last week against the Trump administration’s revocation of international student visas, The Diamondback reported.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Association of University Professors, asks for a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from arresting, detaining and deporting students who “engaged in constitutionally-protected activities.”
Four percent of students at this university have a J-1 visas status, the university statement read, which are for international people who are in a work-and-study exchange program, according to the federal government. Twelve percent of students at this university have other non-immigrant visas, the statement read.
This university’s International Student Scholar Services office sent an email on April 8 to all campus community members with F-1 and J-1 visas offering resources for international students.
“ISSS will continue to communicate with impacted individuals to provide information specific to their situations,” the office’s director Susan-Ellis Doughtery wrote in the email.
This story has been updated.
