SCOOP: Sources close to UO student whose visa was revoked speak out; students demand 'sanctuary campus'
An international student was given 15 days to self-deport or leave the country. Hear from sources close to the student who set the record straight — in interviews exclusive to The Knightly Ruby.
Last edited 12 p.m. April 9.
UPDATE: Division of Global Engagement dean and vice provost Dennis Galvan addressed concerns over the four known student visa revocations in an April 8 International Student and Scholar Services newsletter. “Like other universities, federal officials did not tell us these status terminations. We discovered them through our regular records check in the federal international student database,” Galvan said.
Scheduled information sessions held by ISSS for those “most at risk to share facts, realistic assessments of possibilities, and support resources” can be accessed through reaching out to Galvan at intl@uoregon.edu; his number, (541) 346-3206; or during his office hours Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Division of Global Engagement on the third floor of Oregon Hall through its east entrance.
At least one more undergraduate and two more graduate UO students have had their visas revoked and SEVIS records terminated and are being asked to leave the U.S. within 15 days, according to a 10 a.m. email sent April 8 to faculty in the school of law.
Jennifer Reynolds, the law school’s dean, authored the email and requested information and expertise from law faculty to help combat deportations. “Our law school doesn’t have an immigration clinic, but we have contacts and expertise that may be valuable in this effort,” Reynolds said via email. “If you have any information you can provide… please reach out to me as soon as you can.”
EUGENE, Ore., April 7 — A UO international student’s F-1 visa was revoked and SEVIS record terminated March 28 by the Department of Homeland Security after DHS identified a since-dismissed, sealed-in-court misdemeanor from five years ago in a “criminal records check,” according to an email the student received from the college’s International Student and Scholar Services, provided by a source close to the subject who spoke with the Ruby on conditions of anonymity and to protect the identity of the affected student. This source will be referred to as “Rook” for clarity.
“At the moment, the student is really most worried about potential (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) response,” Rook said, “that, you know, ICE will come into a classroom and take them... because as we’ve seen across the country, ICE has been operating outside the purview of (the law).”
ISSS informed the student they had until April 12, “15 days from (March 28,) to leave the U.S. or consult with an immigration attorrney on (their) options.” DHS’ Study in the States website says “(ICE) agents may investigate to confirm the departure of the student” after a F-1 SEVIS record is terminated.
The criminal records check was conducted in DHS’ Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which is a digital repository of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)’s records, and the student’s record likely terminated by ICE for “otherwise failing to maintain status,” according to the email from ISSS, in a commonly observed two-step visa revocation, then record termination process.
Rook says the student is currently allowed to stay within the U.S. for an undetermined amount of time — “anywhere from a month to six or seven months; it’s hard to say,” — due to their prior involvement in a proceeding regarding their legal status “completely unrelated” from both the visa termination and any criminal charges — of which the student has none. “(This procedure) didn’t start yesterday,” Rook said.
But it is ongoing, and any reporting on this student could have a very real affect on the outcome of their proceeding and whether or not they face deportation, which is why the Ruby has granted as much anonymity to its sources and subject as possible.
Another source close to the subject — who also spoke on condition of anonymity — organizes alongside Rook to ensure university administration follows the rule of the deals made in the UO Palestine Coalition’s decamping agreement. This source will be referred to as “Bishop.”
“The number one priority for us is to stand strong against this,” Bishop said over a Signal call, “To make sure the university puts out statements educating other international students that this is happening and they have resources and legal support they can have access to — and it should be free.”
“What the university needs to do is let international students know this has happened, let them know they need to be monitoring their status and if visas do get revoked and they do have to leave the country, then allow them to stay enrolled at the university and finish their courses remotely.” —Bishop
In a recent meeting with UO administration and faculty like Dennis Galvan — political science and global studies professor and Division of Global Engagement dean and vice provost, who did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publishing — Bishop and Rook pressured the university to “check to make sure that every day they’re manually going and looking through the SEVIS system to see if visas have been revoked,” Bishop said.
“Because if visas have been revoked and students are not legally allowed to be in the country, that would allow ICE to come on campus and detain the students — which is a huge risk,” Bishop said. “What the university needs to do is let international students know this has happened, let them know they need to be monitoring their status and if visas do get revoked and they do have to leave the country, then allow them to stay enrolled at the university and finish their courses remotely.”
UO won’t pay for legal fees: Community rallies to tune of almost $15,000 for fundraiser led by faculty, staff
Eric Howald, UO assistant director of issues management, provided the college’s official statement in an email to the Ruby April 4, which says the UO was “not informed in advance and has not been given details about the reason for this action,” and that UO “offers any assistance we can provide” when a student’s visa is revoked.
However, this does not include financial assistance: UO will not pay for any legal consultations regarding the student’s visa termination, according to Rook.
Along with a lawyer the student already had paid and on retainer for the aforementioned legal proceeding, the student’s fees for additional legal help are being entirely provided for via a GoFundMe started by a group of UO faculty and staff that amassed over $10,000 in just over a day after launching and sits around $600 under its $15,000 goal at time of publication. Some of the biggest donors so far have been students: UO Album Listening Club members and leaders organized an unofficial basement benefit rave April 5 and donated all $1313 of the proceeds to the fund.
Kaleigh Bronson-Cook, a faculty member and research assistant in the college of education who helped organize the fundraiser, said in a Signal message: “When we learned funds were needed, we created a fundraiser and shared it broadly with the campus community. In addition to supporting this specific student, any unused donations will be saved for potential future students whose visas are targeted by the federal government.”
To everyone who has or will contribute to the fund, Bishop says, “I’m very impressed at the amount of solidarity. I think it’s a very hopeful sign of the amount of people willing to fight back against this level of oppression and protect these vulnerable students who are at risk.”
If you are or know a UO student whose visa has been revoked and needs to seek legal counsel, direct them to studentimmigrationdefensefund@gmail.com, managed by the group of faculty and staff who set up the fundraiser.
No criminal charges: Student visa terminated on suspicion of years-old misdemeanor despite case being sealed, dismissed
UO’s statement also says the student’s visa was terminated due to “unspecified criminal charges,” which is inaccurate and misleading. The student faces no criminal charges as of the time of this article’s publishing, only a sealed record wherein a misdemeanor charge was dismissed in court, according to Rook and Bishop. Several local media reporting on the story lead with this inaccuracy, which could serve to harm the student’s ongoing legal status case — the only thing currently allowing them to stay in the U.S.
“We are checking the status of all our international student [sic] daily to verify no others have been revoked. So far, none have,” Howald said via email. “Revocations such as this are extremely rare.” He then directed to an Inside Higher Ed article which expressed, at-length, the incredible commonality of these visa revocations under our current administration.
We are in an exceedingly fascist state wherein officials like Marco Rubio have launched an “AI-fueled ‘Catch and Revoke’ effort to cancel visas of foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups,” according to Axios.
Too, other students have recently reported having their visas revoked, SEVIS records terminated and being detained or arrested by ICE for criminal records like drunk driving even years in the past — totally unrelated to organizing for Palestine on campus. Reddit’s r/f1visa, a forum for “immigration questions and answers about F-1 visas and F-1 status in the U.S.,” has been bursting at the seams with posts about terminations, enough that subreddit moderators created a “megathread” April 3 with a selection of frequently asked questions.
Where do we go from here? ‘Sanctuary campus now!’
I’ll keep it short and sweet: I’m a journalist, yes, but also a socialist and organizer with the UO chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, which recently voted on launching a sanctuary campus campaign in the footsteps of YDSA chapters across the nation. Mae Bracelin, UO YDSA’s chair, explained more in-depth in a phone call.
“For over 100 years, socialists have stood with the most harmed and marginalized sectors of our society, and we’re gonna continue to do that. But also, we are among the most harmed and marginalized sectors of our society,” she said. “We need to meet the moment and defend our students, defend our free spech and defend higher education — defend our society from a fascistic authoritarian takeover.”
At this moment, Bracelin said, a lot of the sanctuary campus organizing is housed within the chapter. “If somebody wanted to get involved, I would really encourage them to come to one of our open planning meetings.” UO YDSA will have an art build and campaign check-in 6 p.m. April 10 in Chiles 128 and a 12 p.m. rally April 11 in front of Johnson Hall, a day before the international student was initially asked to self-deport.
Other campus organizations have called for a revitalized sanctuary campus effort, like UO Student Power, a slate running in the ASUO election April 7 to 11. UO SP released a “statement on nationwide attacks on international students” April 6 on Instagram, committing to “using ASUO executive branch resources to provide immigration services to at-risk students who need to consult with an attorney.”
UO SP also hopes to ask the university to make concrete assurances in alignment with the American Association of University Professors (see Rutgers’ demands here), “reaffirming UO Senate’s decision to develop sanctuary campus protocols.” We reached out to Unite UO, the opposing slate, for comment on their policy regarding this topic, but have yet to receive a reply at time of publication; in a post on expression and diversity, Unite UO plans to “author a resolution in support and defense of free speech on campus.”
We will… ask the University (to assure):
That international students remain enrolled in the event of visa revocation, legal status termination, detention or deportation
UO makes a public statement to faculty, students, and staff that international students who have had their legal status terminated will be able to continue their studies remotely
That UO will work with international students who choose to leave the US for their safety
The University devotes resources to ISSS to enable it to communicate reliable information to international students
University administrators must refuse to share data with authorities, including photos and video footage, extracted from surveillance of campus protests
— via @uostudentpower on Instagram
“Sanctuary campus” itself is a fraught and debated-over term and will differ in definition state-to-state and college-to-college. Some UO students I’ve spoken to informally have addressed concern with it, and how those who have dealt with immigration agencies in places that call themselves sanctuary campuses, states or cities may be disillusioned and driven away from a campaign because of the phrase.
Bracelin, however, argues the case for a sanctuary campus campaign informed both by the movements happening alongside it and revolutionary thinking: “We hope that our experience with previous fights — like the (UO Student Workers) union and Palestine — can help guide this fight, but we also hope to be the beginning of a larger movement which is able to mobilize and organize students from different positionalities and experiences,” she said.
This movement doesn’t stop with UO YDSA. “Going forward, we believe that to be able to win this campaign, we need mass student participation that goes beyond one organization,” Bracelin said. “We’re in the early stages of planning a general assembly to bring together as many students as possible to look forward into how we are going to force the university to accept our demands.”
This is a developing story. As sources respond and circumstances change, we may update this article or publish supplementary material. If you have corrections, tips or questions please reach out to us @uo.knightlyruby or the author @hawkscratch on Instagram.
Robin Bailey is the newsprint editor and founder of The Knightly Ruby, an abolitionist, anti-fascist pan-leftist monthly from The Student Insurgent at the University of Oregon. He’s also a student worker and an organizer with the UO Young Democratic Socialists of America.