As of Thursday, April 10, 20 international students at the City University of New York (CUNY) have had their visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Per a statement released by the university, they face a “change in visa status” — with no clear explanation. This attack follows the escalating situation at Columbia University where five visas and two green cards have been revoked so far.
CUNY is one of the largest public university systems in the United States with 25 campuses serving each borough of New York City. The student body at CUNY is heavily represented by working-class and immigrant students. Visa revocations were also reported at the State University of New York (SUNY), another public university, as well as at New York University.
All of these campuses have been at the center of the movement for Palestine, fighting against the genocide, as well as to divest our institutions from the State of Israel.
Since the green card revocation and detainment of Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil last month, over 300 student visas at universities across the U.S. have been revoked. Many are the result of a direct attack on free speech in support of Palestine but a lot more have not been supported by any evidence or reason from the DHS or the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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