The terminations of nine University of Wisconsin-Madison student and recent alumni visas were reversed Friday after the Trump administration restored more than 1,500 student visas it had previously revoked.
The Trump administration’s announcement, made during a court hearing Friday, follows the cancellation of more than 1,000 visas across the country since President Donald Trump took office in January, including 27 international student visas and alumni visa employment extensions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas told The Daily Cardinal the university does not know why the visa revocations occurred.
The records of another 15 students and recent alumni remain terminated Friday afternoon, and the university is aware of several students and alumni who have been granted temporary restraining orders against the Trump administration, Lucas said. At least two UW-Madison international students have received temporary protections from visa revocations in federal court.
The administration announced the decision in a hearing Friday, following hundreds of lawsuits filed by international students fearing deportation and widespread criticism.
Joseph Carilli, a Justice Department lawyer, also indicated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will soon introduce a new “framework” policy for visa review and termination, but for now, students will not have their visas terminated “solely based on” flagged misdemeanors, dismissed cases and other minor offenses in criminal history checks.
An attorney for the Justice Department said Friday that ICE “maintains the authority” to terminate student visas for other reasons, including if a student “fails to maintain his or her nonimmigrant status after the record is reactivated or engages in other unlawful activity that would render him or her removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
UW-Madison student Krish Lal Isserdasani had his student visa terminated earlier this month after a disorderly conduct arrest was flagged on his record. Prosecutors declined to press charges, however, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting him.
International UW-Madison student Yue Yang was also granted protection from visa revocation by a federal judge Wednesday, who said the only infraction he appeared to have committed was a speeding ticket. Three other UW-Madison students sued the Trump administration Wednesday alleging the Department of Homeland Security unfairly revoked their student visas, saying they have no criminal records or charges aside from minor traffic violations.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin called the terminations “deeply troubling” in a column in the Wisconsin State Journal April 17, alluding specifically to these minor infractions resulting in visa terminations.
“In a great many of these cases, there’s either no known infraction at all, or the alleged issue appears alarmingly minor, such as a speeding ticket or other traffic violation,” Mnookin wrote. “Revoking visas on such flimsy grounds or on no clear grounds at all seems arbitrary and unjust.”
Carilli added during the Friday hearing that the Justice department could potentially provide reprieve for students who have sued the Trump administration for reinstatement of their visas, which would allow them to remain in the country for spring graduation ceremonies.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 4 p.m. Friday, April 25 to include additional information on the status of UW-Madison student visas from a university spokesperson.
This is a developing story.
Annika Bereny is a Senior Staff Writer and the former Special Pages Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She is a History and Journalism major and has written in-depth campus news, specializing in protest policy, free speech and historical analysis. She has also written for state and city news. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
Francesca Pica is the editor-in-chief for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the city news editor. She has covered multiple municipal elections, state politics and is a leading reporter on Madison labor issues. She served as an intern for The Capital Times, currently serves as a WisPolitics intern and will also intern with the Wisconsin State Journal this summer.
Ella Hanley is the college news editor for The Daily Cardinal and former associate news editor. She is a fourth-year journalism and criminal justice student and has written breaking, city, state and campus news. Follow her on Twitter at @ellamhanley.
