International students at state universities in Illinois and across the nation are being improperly and unlawfully targeted by the Trump administration for visa revocation.

Last week, the Trump administration revoked the visas of five international students at Northern Illinois University, where I am a professor.

Students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University, and other state universities were also targeted.

The Trump administration’s authoritarian actions violate these students’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Revoking students’ visas without cause or due process unjustly deprives international students of access to education, violating their civil rights and human rights.

Further, these actions constitute attacks on public education, academic freedom, faculty governance, and university autonomy. State universities are under a widespread and coordinated attack by the Trump administration.

“The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted,” Capitol News Illinois reports.

“A spokesperson for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this week confirmed that some of its students are affected, but did not disclose a number. U of I ranks sixth nationally in the size of its international student body at over 15,000.

“‘Out of student privacy concerns, we are not sharing specific information, but we are working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options,’ said Robin Kaler, a university spokesperson. Kaler declined to provide more details, though multiple sources familiar with the situation at U of I, who asked that their names not be used because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, say the number of students whose visas have been revoked is at least several dozen — and likely growing.

“The revocations are part of a broader federal crackdown playing out on campuses across the country. International students have faced abrupt visa cancellations in recent weeks, as the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration dragnet ensnares college students, federal officials claim have violated visa rules, though the reasons for the revocations are not always made clear. In many cases, students have also lost their status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, SEVIS, which allows them to legally stay in the U.S. while enrolled in school.

“Across its vast network of public and private colleges and universities, Illinois hosts one of the largest international student populations in the nation, ranking fifth, with more than 55,000 international students, according to a 2024 Open Doors report. …”

“As university leaders try to balance student concerns, fears of retaliation in an increasingly fraught political climate and growing demands for transparency, some say they feel left in the dark. And they worry the lack of transparency could conceal the full scope of the federal government’s actions against international students nationwide.”

“‘What is deeply distressing about the news — that an international student’s visa was revoked — is the chilling silence around it, which only adds to the sense that we are powerless in the face of multiple attacks on the very existence of universities as places of learning, questioning and nurturing the next generation,’ said Jyotnsa Kapur, a professor in cinema and media studies and the director of the University Honors Program at SIU Carbondale.”

Brandhorst, Jackson. “‘Chilling silence’: Waves of Illinois’ International University Students Lose their Visas.” Capitol News Illinois (10 April 2025).

“The Visas of Five International Students at NIU Have Been Revoked.” NPR (10 April 2025).