The U.S. government terminated a total of 26 University of Wisconsin-Madison student visas and alumni visa employment extensions, an increase since the 13 terminations announced by the university in a statement Monday.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Thursday that 15 current students and 11 alumni who were working legally post-graduation on student visa extensions had their visas terminated by the Trump administration.
Other UW campuses confirmed Thursday terminations, including 10 visa terminations of current and alumni students at UW-Milwaukee. The Journal Sentinel also reported four terminations from other UW campuses, but a breakdown by institution was not available.
A UW-Madison spokesperson confirmed the number of visas terminated on Thursday with The Daily Cardinal.
A terminated visa status requires the individual to immediately leave the U.S. with no grace period. The university said it was not involved or aware of the terminations in the statement Monday, and only learned of them after.
"We don’t go into the rationale for what happens with individual visas," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said at a press conference Tuesday. "What we can tell you is that the department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we’ll continue to do so."
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said during a Faculty Senate meeting Monday it is not “atypical” to see visa terminations every year, but the university and other institutions have seen an elevated amount of terminations within the past week.
The number of visa termination reports across the country has been increasing as more universities report terminations, and close to 300 international students across the country have had their visas revoked in recent days.
Mnookin said the university has “no reason to believe that the record terminations had anything to do with political speech or protest activity.”
UW-Madison said it cannot determine the exact rationale for these terminations, but does not believe they are specific to participation in “free speech events.” Across the country, immigration officers have detained international students due to their involvement in pro-Palestine causes.
A UW-Madison spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment confirming the number of visas terminated on Thursday.
Mnookin said the university has not seen any activity from the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement on campus or in Madison.
UW-Madison International Student Services has reached out to the individuals to provide resources and advise them about potential consequences, the university said.
“I care deeply about each and every one of our students and our safety, and we will continue to explore this more,” UW-Madison Dean of Students Christina Olstad told The Daily Cardinal.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 to include other UW campus visa terminations and a confirmation from a spokesperson at UW-Madison.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 to include the increased number of visa terminations and a comment from the U.S. State Department.
Campus News Editor Gavin Escott contributed to this article.
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.
