5 UMass Amherst Students Have Visas Revoked

Five University of Massachusetts Amherst international students have had their visas revoked and student statuses terminated by the federal government, according to Chancellor Javier Reyes.

In a letter addressed to the UMass community, Reyes said he learned of some of the revocations Friday evening.

“In each of the five cases, the students’ legal status to remain in the United States has been revoked. The university was not notified by federal authorities of these status revocations and only became aware as a result of proactive checks in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database,” he wrote in the letter.

Reyes said the university has reached out to each of the students and is connecting them to resources.

He added that the visas are being revoked by the Department of State and said the revocations are being attributed by federal authorities to “alleged incidents, in some cases, as minor as off-campus traffic violations.”

The announcement comes on the same day as a Massachusetts U.S. District Court judge had Tufts University international student Rümeysa Öztürk’s case transferred to federal court in Vermont.

It’s unclear if Öztürk, who was arrested on March 25, will remain in custody in Louisiana or moved to Vermont.

Reyes is warning students on UMass-sponsored visas who receive any phone calls or emails from anyone claiming to be from the federal government to also contact the Office of Global Affairs, which will advise them of options and resources.

He wrote that students on personal statuses such as parole, TPS, asylum, etc. should contact the Student Legal Services Office or their personal attorney.

UMass has established the Angel Fund to help meet the legal, academic, housing, living and counseling needs of students who are adversely affected by changes in federal immigration.

Reyes said he first came to the United States on a student visa program.

“I want to stress how important our international community is to the vitality of our campus and assure every international student and scholar at UMass of our unwavering support as we confront this new reality,” he wrote.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published by NEPM. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.