This page is being used to provide further updates for the campus community. It will be updated as more information is provided.
Please direct any questions, comments or tips to [email protected].
April 17:
By Bella Ishanyan
On April 17, UMass’s Office of Equity and Inclusion released a statement addressing worries of the community in the wake of revocations of international student visas, including the rumored presence of ICE and Homeland Security agents on campus
Nationally, over 500 international student visas have been revoked, according to ABC7 New York, as the Trump administration continues to scrutinize institutions of higher education and immigration. Visas revoked through the SERVIR system do not happen in person.
“We know that many of you have heard rumors about the presence of federal immigration law enforcement agents on campus. Dozens of these reports have been filed, and to date, none have been true. ICE has not been on our campus.”
One rumor circulating was that a federal agent was on campus and had entered the Human Resources Department in the Whitmore Administration Building. SBS Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and journalism professor Kathy Roberts Forde said that the rumor is untrue, and that the individual who was spotted at Whitmore was doing a routine check.
“There was someone from the federal government in court doing a routine inquiry about a student … who has applied for a federal job and needs to have security clearance,” Forde said. “These are very routine matters. They’re normal. This is what happens all over campuses all over the country, and has for a very, very long time.”
The LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, an unofficial coalition of grassroots organizations, advertises a “LUCE Hotline” that individuals can call to report ICE sightings. On April 17, they announced in a “verified report” that five Homeland Security Investigators or ICE agents were located at the North 116 Flats Apartments in Sunderland, indicated by “several unmarked vehicles in the area.”
The Sunderland Police Department said they are unaware of such a presence, and LUCE has not responded to the Collegian’s request for proof of this report.
The Equity and Inclusion message sympathized with the individuals and causes that are spreading these reports, but said that it is important for individuals to double-check the sources from which their information is coming.
“We understand that these reports are being shared out of genuine care and concern for each other. We ask, however, for a measure of caution in sharing unverified information. We also understand and welcome the desire to help and support each other; we’d like to share some resources and reminders.”
Updated news about what is happening at UMass is provided on the Federal Actions page of the UMass website. The university recommends those in need of support should reach out to UMass’s Office of Global Affairs and the Student Legal Services Office.
April 10:
By Bella Ishanyan
University of Massachusetts Amherst officials confirmed that as of April 9, 13 international undergraduate and graduate students, along with alumni, have had their legal statuses revoked.
Emily Gest, associate vice chancellor for news and media relations, confirmed that the university’s updated statement reflects the current circumstances regarding the administration’s lack of prior knowledge or involvement in the most recent nine revocations.
Gest said the university has contacted students and is “offering to work on enrollment completion options for the semester as appropriate and trying to facilitate resources as needed.”
According to Gest, in every case, “UMass Amherst was not asked for information in advance by the federal government, did not provide information concerning the revocations to the federal government and was not notified by the federal government of these status terminations.”
UMass Amherst is not the only college or university to be impacted by sudden visa revocations in recent days.
The federal government revoked F-1 student visas and terminated the non-immigrant statuses of two current UMass Boston students and five other members of the university community, Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said Saturday, April 5. The following day, Harvard University announced that three current students and two recent graduates had had their visas revoked.
Additionally, in an April 6 update, UMass administration corrected a previous false report that the university had collaborated with the federal government to provide information about international students. Although information was given, as required, to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the two are disconnected.
According to the university’s statement, OCR complaint processes are routine and occur under all federal administrations. The process is usually prompted by individuals alleging discriminatory treatment because they or someone else was overly or insufficiently disciplined for breaches of student conduct.
UMass is under active investigation for both allegations of antisemitism and separate allegations of anti-Palestinian bias.
The administration said that it is following federal procedures and the “visa revocations have no known connection with either the campus’ federally mandated participation in active OCR Title VI complaint processes or with students’ engagement in activism,” according to the statement.
Additionally, UMass stated that they will remain in compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws to protect the privacy of student education records.
April 3:
By Bella Astrofsky and Bella Ishanyan
On April 4, University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes sent an email informing the UMass community that “five international students have had their visas revoked and student statuses terminated by the federal government.”
The reasons behind the revocations were not disclosed in the email.
“In the past, students’ legal statuses in the United States were not immediately canceled due to a revoked visa,” the email states. “Under the new administration, in some cases, student statuses are being revoked within hours of the visa’s revocation.”
The email provided information from Inside Higher Ed, stating students who have their visas revoked are typically permitted to “stay in the country as long as they remain enrolled in courses,” but the changes in legal status are “paving the way for arrest and deportation.”
Reyes states the University was not informed of the revocations as they happened and only discovered them after checking the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database.
“We are connecting these students to on- and off-campus resources, including personal outreach from leadership within the Office of the Provost, Student Affairs and Campus Life, and the Office of Global Affairs,” the email states. “We also continue to work with the UMass Office of General Counsel and the Attorney General of Massachusetts to ensure that we do everything within our power to protect our community.”
Students are usually informed by the Department of State via email if their visas are revoked but it was not disclosed whether or not these students were aware of their change in status before the administration uncovered changes in the SEVIS database.
“We encourage all students on visas to monitor the email address used to apply for their F-1 or other non-immigrant visa for notifications from the Department of State,” the email states.
