Visa cancellations hit international students at Orange County college campuses

The wave of the Trump administration’s visa cancellations sweeping through colleges nationwide has affected several international students at three Orange County universities.

As of April 15, four students at Cal State Fullerton have had their visas revoked, along with 44 others systemwide. A spokesperson for the university confirmed the tally.

On April 11, Chapman University’s acting provost Glenn Pfeiffer confirmed that three students had their visas canceled during a faculty senate meeting that TimesOC has reviewed.

“What the [U.S.] State Department is doing is within the law,” Pfeiffer said during the meeting. “They have the authority to revoke a visa for anyone that they feel may be a threat to national security.”

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Pfeiffer was otherwise unaware why the private university’s students, including a post-doctoral student, had their visas canceled.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a TimesOC request for comment.

Nationwide, hundreds of international students have had their visas, which allow them to live and study in the U.S., revoked amid the president’s continued crackdown on immigration.

Initially, it appeared as if the move targeted students accused of supporting State Department designated foreign terrorist organizations.

“We are not going to be importing activists into the United States,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in remarks to the press. “They’re here to study. They’re here to go to class. They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities. I think it’s lunacy to continue to allow that.”

But as the cancellations continue, students with minor offenses are increasingly finding themselves faced with the dilemma of leaving the U.S. within seven days or face deportation proceedings.

An anonymous student at an unnamed Orange County campus sued the Trump administration alleging that their status was illegally revoked with the violations on their record being a “minor speeding ticket and a misdemeanor alcohol related driving conviction,” the latter of which the State Department knew about before deciding to renew the visa.

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About 6% of Cal State Fullerton’s nearly 44,000 student body population is comprised of international students authorized to study under either F-1 or J-1 visas.

Chapman currently has undergraduate students from 60 different countries attending classes, according to the university’s website. They make up 5% of Chapman’s nearly 10,000 enrolled students.

“The Chapman Office of International Student Services is working directly with the affected students to try and understand their specific situations,” said Jeff Howard, a Chapman University spokesperson, in a statement to TimesOC.

The university did not disclose the students’ country of origin or provide any further details, citing privacy concerns.

UC Irvine has also seen a “small number” of its international students and recent graduates temporarily employed in their major areas of study have their visas canceled.

According to an April 7 statement by UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman, the campus learned of them through monitoring the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

“While the numbers are fluid, none of these cases are connected to campus disciplinary processes,” Gillman wrote.

UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students enrolled.

A spokesperson for UCI would not confirm the total number of international students affected, citing the numbers being so few that it could lead to their identification.