Editor’s note: This is a developing story; this article will continue to be updated with the latest numbers.
At least 87 UC students are known to have had their visas revoked as of April 11:
19 at UC Berkeley
18 at UC Davis
16 at UC Los Angeles
10 at UC Santa Barbara
6 at UC Riverside
6 at UC San Diego
5 at UC Irvine
4 at UC Merced
3 at UC Santa Cruz
Throughout the country, hundreds more students have had their visa statuses unilaterally revoked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in recent weeks. As of April 9, according to an analysis from Inside Higher Ed, at least 650 visas have been revoked from students at over 120 colleges nationwide.
Poppy Press, an independent student publication at UC Los Angeles, first reported three visa revocations at UC Santa Cruz on April 5 through Instagram. A day later, Chancellor Larive sent a campus-wide email, informing the UC Santa Cruz community that the DHS revoked three F-1 visas, ending the students’ authorization to stay in the United States. The federal government did not notify students nor university staff before terminating their records.
“We recognize that recent federal immigration actions, whether locally, within the UC system, or across the country, may cause fear and grave concern for many in our campus community,” the email read. “We reiterate our strong support for all international students and scholars.”
Campus provost and executive vice chancellor Lori Kletzer sent a separate email Thursday April 10 with additional information, resources and reaffirmation of UCSC’s commitment to supporting international scholars. According to the email, ISSP and IFSS have been monitoring Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) for terminations.
“We are reaching out to and meeting with students who have been impacted so that they have access to the information and guidance they need to make informed decisions about their individual cases,” the email read. “In addition to meeting with these students, we’ve advised students to immediately seek the advice of an immigration attorney, such as through UC Immigration Legal Services’ referral list.”
City on a Hill Press contacted Scott Hernandez-Jason, assistant vice chancellor of communications and marketing, and International Student Services and Programming (ISSP) on April 5, with questions about the nature of the revocations.
Both ISSP, who forwarded the request to Abby Butler, director of strategic communications and media relations, and Hernandez-Jason directed City on a Hill Press to Larive’s statement. Neither answered questions about if the affected students were graduates or undergraduates, or whether UCSC may disenroll the affected students.
Based on university policy, UCSC does not consider documentation status when admitting students, but it is unclear whether that policy will apply to students without visas.
UC President Michael V. Drake issued a statement on April 8 further addressing the revocations and expressing support of UC international students.
“The government has not coordinated with UC leaders on their decisions or provided advance notice to us, but has indicated in government databases that the terminations were due to violations of the terms of the individuals’ visa programs,” President Drake wrote. “At this time, we are not aware of any federal law enforcement activity on our campuses.”
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that at least 300 student visas had already been revoked as part of the “Catch and Revoke” program. Although the Trump administration has targeted students protesting the war on Gaza, not all students who had their visas revoked participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
The Community Responds
As the news spread throughout the student community, several campus organizations have begun speaking out, both to the public and directly to university leadership.
One of the first to address the revocations and advocate for affected students was the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA) and University Council-AFT Local 1474.
CUCFA and AFT released a joint letter on April 6 demanding UC campuses and UC leadership to protect students against the federal government in an environment where international students are “living in fear and uncertainty” of “these abrupt and apparently arbitrary cancellations.”
“We reiterate our call to University leadership to refuse to comply with or otherwise aid in any orders to disclose personal information of students, scholars, staff, or faculty or otherwise cooperate with the Trump Administration, DOJ, DHS, ICE or other government agencies involved in the investigation, prosecution, or deportation of members of the UC community,” the letter read.
The letter continues: “Other universities, from Princeton to the University of Minnesota and Tufts University, have refused to acquiesce; we expect no less from the country’s leading public university.”
Eight Students for Justice in Palestine units across UC campuses released a joint statement on April 8, labeling the visa revocations as part of “scare tactics” from the Trump administration to “ensure that the genocide in Gaza can continue unchallenged.”
The Santa Cruz Faculty Association (SCFA) sent a letter to Chancellor Larive and campus provost and executive vice chancellor Lori Kletzer the same day, demanding action from the university to protect international students and scholars.
“As the administrative leaders of UCSC, you are in a position to take concrete steps to support students and scholars at risk,” the email read. “In this moment when the future of higher education and free speech are in peril, our institution has obligations beyond doing no harm. A failure to protect these students and scholars jeopardizes the safety and academic freedom of all students and scholars.”