Texas: UT Arlington President’s Important Email, 27 International Students’ Visas Revoked, Wave of Concern in Universities
By: Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada
Texas: The President of the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) has informed all students and staff through an urgent email today that the U.S. government has revoked the visas of 27 international students affiliated with the university. (This data pertains to only one university.) According to the President, this list was directly provided to the university by government agencies, and the university is taking steps to provide legal advice and guidance to these students. It is important to note that under the University of Texas System (UT System), there are a total of 14 institutions in Texas, including 9 educational and 5 health-related institutions. It has also been reported that the heads of these institutions have sent similar emails, and the total number of students across these institutions is approximately 257,718. The exact number of international students is not available across all institutions, but it is known that the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has 6,644 international students for the academic year 2024-2025, representing 130 different countries.
Specific numbers of international students in other institutions have not been published, and there is no aggregate data available for all universities in Texas, so it is currently impossible to accurately estimate the total number.
On the other hand, the U.S. government has implemented a new policy to reject immigration applications based on anti-Semitic activities on social media. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified that the presence of content supporting organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or Ansar Allah (Houthis) on social media will negatively impact the immigration process.
This policy has been enforced under President Donald Trump’s executive orders “Combating Antisemitism,” “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism,” and “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security Threats.” According to DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, “There is no place in the U.S. for individuals who promote hate or violence against Jews.”
Interestingly, U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio recently stated that visa revocations would apply to only about 300 international students. However, with 27 visa revocations from just UTA, it can be inferred that the actual number may be much higher. This development has raised concerns not only among students but also in academic institutions, where alongside academic activities, legal complexities and uncertainty are increasing.
