Visas revoked on six NMSU international students

The Trump administration revoked the visas of six international students at New Mexico State University.

In a memorandum from Lakshmi Reddi, the university’s interim provost and chief academic officer, to students, faculty and staff, Reddi stated that NMSU had discovered that three international students had lost their visas. Amanda Bradford, spokesperson for NMSU, told the Bulletin that NMSU became aware of the revocation through a federal database check of students on international visa status on Monday, April 7^th, and then with a second check of the database on Tuesday, April 8^th, university officials became aware of three more international students whose visas were revoked.

This week the Trump administration has revoked hundreds of student visas at universities across the U.S. The Albuquerque Journal reports that international students at the University of New Mexico have also been affected.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the federal government had revoked the visas of 300 students across the U.S. and said at the time that international students should be studying instead of engaging in “destabilizing acts.”

Initially, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained international students on college campuses who had been involved in student protests against U.S. support of Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza last year. But the more recent sweeps appear to involve international students who might have a minor traffic violation resolved long ago. In some cases, it’s unclear why the government has revoked the international student’s visa.

Bradford said NMSU does not have knowledge as to why the Trump administration revoked the six NMSU international students’ visas and does not have information about any federal enforcement actions regarding the students. She also said the university is not aware of any connection between the six and any student-led protests or campaigns in response to the war in Gaza.

Bradford could not provide any additional information regarding the students, such as nationality or whether they are graduate students or undergraduate. NMSU’s spring semester has been in full swing since mid-January and does not end until May 9.

Reddi said in his memorandum that NMSU President Valerio Ferme has created a task force designed to analyze the impact of Trump’s executive orders on NMSU’s operations and “to find solutions that allow us to continue fulfilling our land-grant mission, while providing the best support possible for those affected by the different orders.”

NMSU also created a webpage for students, faculty and staff to check to stay informed as to resources and the executive orders impact.