A little over a week ago, Illinois residents woke to headlines that said, “Waves of Illinois’ International University Students Lose Their Visas.” Like many immigration issues in these uncertain times, nothing is absolute. Yesterday’s headlines stated, “ICE Reversing Termination of Legal Status of International Students.” The University of Illinois ranks sixth nationally in the size of its international student body, at more than 15,000. Statewide, Illinois is home to more than 55,000 international students.
Over the past few weeks, international students across the United States have experienced abrupt visa cancellations after federal officials claimed they “broke the rules.” Despite those claims, the reasons for the revocations are rarely clear. According to the Secretary of State, student visas are being revoked because international students are engaging in “Activist movements that are disruptive…” On April 9th, the federal government stated it would begin monitoring the social media pages of international students.