UT Austin Students Rally Against Visa Revocations Tied to Trump Immigration Policies

On Wednesday, students at the University of Texas at Austin protested the Trump administration's immigration policy changes, notably the loss of over 300 student visas.

Demonstrators in front of the UT Tower chanted “No human is illegal” and “No more deportations” to protest the federal government's unjust and politically driven deportations of international students.

According to The Associated Press, two UT Austin graduates—one from India and one from Lebanon—who had legal work permission related to their student visas were affected. KUT News could not verify those incidents, but a university spokeswoman said, “The visa status of multiple international students has unexpectedly changed in recent days.”

Austin Students for a Democratic Society coordinated the protest. Group spokesperson Arshia Papari said, “We have a very large international student community based here at UT, and they, like many other students, are rightly frightened and fearful.”

UT Austin has around 6,600 international students from 130 countries, according to data.

Taiwanese doctoral student Tim spoke at the rally but did not provide his last name for fear of retaliation. He remarked, “It’s very upsetting and ridiculous.” “We feel unsafe.” Tim used to see the U.S. as a beacon of freedom, but now he worries about  expanding speech limitations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in late March that disruptive protesters will lose their student visas. “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses,” Rubio added, without naming a movement.

Civil liberties campaigners say pro-Palestinian activists like Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil are disproportionately affected.

The State Department said visa revocations are “ongoing” and dynamic and taken routinely to “secure America’s borders and keep our communities safe.” The total number has not been confirmed.

Texas A&M University reported 15 students who lost their legal status, one due to a minor driving infraction.

The circumstance was unprecedented, according to Texas Immigration Law Council managing attorney Robert Painter. “I’ve been practicing immigration law for almost 12 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

Painter says the policy sends a message. “There is definitely an intention to have a chilling effect on foreign students exercising their free speech rights,” especially if they oppose U.S. foreign policy.

Texas trails only California, New York, and Massachusetts in foreign student enrollment, with almost 76,000.

Students and educators nationwide are demanding clearer norms, due process, and free speech for overseas students, as shown at UT Austin.

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