North Carolina State University announced that the U.S. government terminated the visas of two of its international students without notifying the school directly.
The two students, whose identities and countries of origin were not disclosed, had their student visas revoked by the government on March 25, according to the Office of International Services. The news was first reported by campus newspaper Technician.
The university was not “directly notified” that the students’ Student Exchange and Visitor Program records had been terminated.
“We are deeply concerned about the lack of communication from federal agencies and the impact of these actions on our international students,” the Office of International Services said in the announcement. “We are committed to assisting these two students in any way we can, including completing the semester from abroad.”
The students returned to their home countries after losing their visas, consulting with their embassies and immigration attorneys, the university said.
Student visa programs grant international students legal status to live and work temporarily in the U.S. while completing studies.
Trump Administration cracks down on pro-Palestine students
The university did not state why the student visas were revoked.
The news, however, comes as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on international students for allegedly protesting or expressing views sympathetic to Palestine in the Israel-Hamas War.
The Trump Administration has accused those students of supporting terrorism for expressing these views or participating in any protests.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that the State Department had revoked more than 300 student visas of people who allegedly expressed support for Palestine in protests or on social media.
NC State declined to answer questions from WUNC.
Student’s roommate speaks out
One the two students was identified as Saleh Al Gurad, a male international student from Saudi Arabia, the Technician reported.
Al Gurad is a graduate engineering student at NC State.
Philip Vasto, a fourth-year chemical engineering student at NC State, identified himself as Al Gurad’s roommate in a letter to the editor published by the Technician.
Vasto said Al-Gurad, who went by “Sal,” did not know why his visa was terminated and that he was not contacted by the federal government. The second student, who was unnamed, is also from Saudi Arabia, he said.
“No one should be deported for free speech, but in the case of Sal, he was a lowkey individual who never attended any protests or wrote about this issue on social media,” Vasto wrote. “He minded his business and studied, yet he was targeted for no other reason than that he is an Arab national.”
The two students voluntarily left to avoid being susceptible to an arrest from immigration enforcement, according to Vasto. They may seek to appeal their visa terminations from Saudi Arabia.
