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Visa status of four UO students revoked amid unspecified charges


About 100 protesters gathered on the steps of Johnson Hall on the campus of the University of Oregon to protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian, completed his master's degree at Columbia University in December. He has a green card and is a legal resident of the US and is married to a US citizen who is eight months pregnant. Khalil was arrested for leading pro-Palestinian protests and taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday for using "bad speech." Khalil is currently being held in an immigration center in Louisiana. Photo by Dan Morrison
About 100 protesters gathered on the steps of Johnson Hall on the campus of the University of Oregon to protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian, completed his master's degree at Columbia University in December. He has a green card and is a legal resident of the US and is married to a US citizen who is eight months pregnant. Khalil was arrested for leading pro-Palestinian protests and taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday for using "bad speech." Khalil is currently being held in an immigration center in Louisiana. Photo by Dan Morrison
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The University of Oregon announced that the Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visa status of four international students due to unspecified criminal charges.

The university stated it was not informed in advance and has not been given details about the nature of the charges.

"We are working to understand more about this situation and are committed to handling this matter with care and respect for the student’s privacy," the university said. "When a student’s visa is revoked, the university offers any assistance we can provide."

The university emphasized that it did not bring the individuals to the attention of federal authorities and was not involved in any decisions regarding their status.

The students affected were in good academic standing, the university confirmed.

READ ALSO: Portland protesters rally against arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil

A statement from the University of Oregon said international tuition generated roughly $55.4 million from 805 enrolled international students in the fall term of 2024.

The revocations are part of a broader trend of immigration status threats faced by students across the country following President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. This includes students who participated in pro-Palestine protests on college campuses.

The Trump administration has cited a seldom-used statute allowing the expulsion of noncitizens if their presence threatens U.S. foreign policy interests. This has led to arrests, deportations, and some students leaving the U.S. after learning their visas were revoked.

The university is required to inform students when their F-1 visa status is terminated, and students are given 15 days to leave the country unless they have another legal pathway for remaining.

The university is working closely with the affected students to provide legal advice and support.

The University of Oregon currently has 796 active F-1 SEVIS records, with students from more than 90 countries.

"Students come from more than 90 countries, there isn’t one that is particularly more dominant than the others. It’s easier to think about it in terms of regions. We had 132 from East Asia. Europe was the second most common (52)," said the university's statement.

Revocations of this nature are extremely rare, according to the university's vice provost of global engagement, who has not seen such occurrences in his 20 years in the field.

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