Hundreds of Indiana University students, faculty and community members gathered at the Sample Gates Thursday to protest the Trump administration’s revocation of student visas at IU and across the country. The protest, organized by IU Bloomington’s graduate student organization, came amidst news that the U.S. State Department had revoked an undisclosed number of IU students’ visas.
Hundreds protest as Trump administration revokes Indiana University student visas
“There’s an old union saying that, ‘Coming for one of us is coming for us all,’” said David Garner, communications chair of the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition (IGWC). “We’re here to demand that IU stands for our international students.”
IU reveals ‘small number’ of visas revoked
Indiana Public Media first reported on April 8 that the U.S. state department had revoked several IU students’ visas. Provost Rahul Shrivastav said during a faculty council meeting that a “small number” of student visas were affected. The university did not respond to questions from The Herald-Times asking how many students’ visas were withdrawn.
At the April 8 meeting, Shrivastav said the university was “trying to help as best as we can,” but did not provide specifics on what resources the university was offering.
Anne Kavalerchik, a coordinating officer for the IGWC, said several organization members had received word that their student visas had been revoked. International students on F-1 visas are required to leave the country within 15 days of having their visas rescinded.
Visa revocations possibly linked to pro-Palestinian activism at IU
IU has not provided details on why its students’ visas were canceled. But the Trump administration has made clear it intends to target and revoke the visas of international students who it deems “Hamas sympathizers,” or those accused of fueling antisemitism on campus. IU was warned in March that it was under investigation by the Department of Education for its response to antisemitism on campus.
Universities that have failed to meet the administration’s demands for aggressively responding to pro-Palestine protests, including Cornell and Northwestern University, have had millions to billions in federal aid frozen.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on April 9 that it would begin surveilling noncitizens’ social media activity for “antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organizations,” including “sympathizers” for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
More than 500 students and recent graduates have had their visa status changed by the State Department in recent weeks, according to Inside Higher Ed (IHE). IHE is regularly updating a database identifying where student visas have been revoked across the country.
“The ones who had their visas revoked are the ones who fought hardest for us,” said graduate student and IGWC member Timothy Biewer-Heisler. “We will fight for our safety.”
Protesters call for ‘sanctuary campus’ status, legal resources for IU international students.
Speakers at the Thursday rally called on IU to ramp up its support for international students by offering legal resources, releasing a statement condemning the visa revocations, and declaring the university a “sanctuary campus” – meaning IU would limit its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
At the April faculty council meeting, IU professors joined Rutgers University faculty in calling on Big Ten leadership to establish a “Mutual Academic Defense Compact,” which would pool funds and legal resources for international students at risk of deportation.
Garner said if graduate students are deported, IU could still honor its graduate worker contracts by allowing students to work remotely overseas, while continuing to provide legal counsel.
Caroline Davis, an IU student who attended the event, said demonstrations like the Sample Gates protest are vital for holding both the U.S. government and IU’s administration to account.
“We have the collective power,” Davis said. “Top-down power only works as long as people believe it works.”
