At least 11 international students from Stony Brook University and dozens of others students at other SUNY schools have had their visas yanked — part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown by the Trump administration, the school confirmed.
Stony Brook officials have so far refused to release any information on the students or say whether any of the affected students participated in pro-Palestinian protests, which have led to visa revocations for students at other schools.
The Long Island university, which had more than 3,800 international students enrolled this year, said it’s working with impacted students and the state to provide legal help and guidance to those affected.
“We are monitoring this evolving situation and working with campuses to ensure our students know their rights,” Holly Liapis, a SUNY spokesperson said.
“Stony Brook University is monitoring this evolving situation closely and working with SUNY and our state partners to ensure affected students know their rights, are connected with the New York State Office for New Americans for legal support, and understand their options to continue their education,” the school said.
Other schools on Long Island, such as SUNY Old Westbury and Hofstra University, said they were not aware of any visa issues on their campuses, but across the SUNY system, 21 other students have reportedly had their visa status changed over the last couple of weeks, Newsday reported.
However, it is unclear how many were flat-out revoked, and whether they had anything to do with campus demonstrations.
At the University at Buffalo, officials released a statement this week announcing that four current students and nine recent grads had their visas stripped.
CUNY also reported 17 international students experienced changes to their visa status, while Fordham University said two of its students — who they confirmed had no links to any campus protests — had their visas revoked as well, according to a school spokesperson.
The Trump admin has been cracking down on immigrant students, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing in March that he has already revoked more than 300 visas for students, some of which he said was due to their anti-Israel actions.
“No one’s entitled to a student visa,” Rubio said in a cabinet meeting Wednesday.
“If you come to this country as a student, we expect you to go to class and study and get a degree. If you come here to vandalize a library, take over a campus, and do all kinds of crazy things, we’re going to get rid of these people,” Rubio added.
Former international student and current Stony Brook professor, Manisha Desai, told Newsday these revocations do more harm than good — detailing how the purge is taking a toll and instilling “fear” in international students who just want to learn.
“It’s not good for anybody’s mental health, much less for doing the work you’re here to do — to learn, to contribute,” Desai reportedly said.
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