Senators Kaine, Warner Demand Answers from Departments of State, Homeland Security on Sudden and Unexplained Revocations of Virginia Students’ Visas

Good to see, although the chances of getting answers from Rubio (who the US Senate voted 99-0 to confirm, astoundingly!) and Noem (who several Democrats actually voted to confirm, also astoundingly!) are…???

KAINE & WARNER DEMAND ANSWERS FROM DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND HOMELAND SECURITY ON SUDDEN AND UNEXPLAINED REVOCATIONS OF VIRGINIA STUDENTS’ VISAS 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Mark R. Warner (both D-VA) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding information and action on the growing number of Virginia college and university students whose visas or records have been abruptly terminated without due process, a means of seeking recourse, or even notification to the students or their schools.

“We write to you today expressing extreme concern after hearing from institutions of higher education throughout Virginia and the country that the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security are working together to revoke the nonimmigrant (F-1, M-1, or J-1) visas of their students. Such revocations are then used to terminate these students’ records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), potentially affecting their ability to attend school,” wrote the senators. “Worse, State and DHS are taking such actions without providing any notice to the affected students or their schools, with only vague, non-individualized reasons given for terminations in SEVIS.”

“The chaos caused by your actions is not acceptable. We believe in the rule of law and that immigration laws should be enforced. That starts with the Constitution and its guarantees of free speech and due process. These Constitutional protections apply to noncitizens in the United States, including people in nonimmigrant status,” continued the senators. “If there are international students in the United States in violation of our criminal or immigration laws, they should be removed. But summarily revoking these students’ visas and/or terminating their records in SEVIS without any notice to the students or their schools undermines confidence in State and DHS’s judgment and erodes Americans’ trust in the immigration system and the rule of law. Such distrust will be exploited by the very people who want to harm the United States.”

The senators posed the following questions:

1. Since January 20, 2025, how many F-1, M-1, or J-1 nonimmigrant visas have the State Department revoked for people attending schools in Virginia? For each revoked visa, please provide the justification given for the revocation.
2. For those whose F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas were revoked in question 1, how many had their records terminated in SEVIS?
3. Since January 20, 2025, has the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) terminated the SEVIS records of any students attending school in Virginia whose nonimmigrant visas have not been revoked by the State Department? For each such termination, please provide the specific reason why their SEVIS records were terminated, and specify what evidence SEVP reviewed before terminating each record.
4. How would a Virginia student whose visa has been revoked and/or had their SEVIS record terminated be notified that this has happened? How would their schools be notified that this has happened? If a student or school believes that such revocation and/or termination has been made in error, what are the avenues for review or appeal of the revocation and/or termination? How long would such process take?

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Noem: 

We write to you today expressing extreme concern after hearing from institutions of higher education throughout Virginia and the country that the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security are working together to revoke the nonimmigrant (F-1, M-1, or J-1) visas of their students. Such revocations are then used to terminate these students’ records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), potentially affecting their ability to attend school. Worse, State and DHS are taking such actions without providing any notice to the affected students or their schools, with only vague, non-individualized reasons given for terminations in SEVIS. Furthermore, there is no clear process for these students to ascertain why their record was terminated in SEVIS, then to challenge the termination if they believe that DHS or State has made an error in their case. To date, over 1,000 international students have had their student visas revoked and/or SEVIS records terminated nationwide, including in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[1]  

The chaos caused by your actions is not acceptable. We believe in the rule of law and that immigration laws should be enforced. That starts with the Constitution and its guarantees of free speech and due process. These Constitutional protections apply to noncitizens in the United States, including people in nonimmigrant status.

If there are international students in the United States in violation of our criminal or immigration laws, they should be removed. But summarily revoking these students’ visas and/or terminating their records in SEVIS without any notice to the students or their schools undermines confidence in State and DHS’s judgment and erodes Americans’ trust in the immigration system and the rule of law. Such distrust will be exploited by the very people who want to harm the United States.

Over 1.1 million international students matriculated to U.S. colleges and universities in 2023-2024, contributing over $40 billion into the U.S. economy and supporting 378,175 jobs.[2] Virginia is proud to be home to more than 170 colleges and universities, including community colleges and highly prestigious research universities that enroll international students. These students pay for the privilege and contribute tremendously to the academic intuitions and the communities in which they live.

We want all our students to feel safe, supported, and secure in their studies so they can focus on their education. As such, we are deeply concerned that this administration’s policies surrounding student visas will result in severe consequences to universities and colleges, and their surrounding communities.

To better assist us in understanding the impacts of State and DHS’s action, no later than April 30, 2025, please provide us with the following information:

1. Since January 20, 2025, how many F-1, M-1, or J-1 nonimmigrant visas have the State Department revoked for people attending schools in Virginia? For each revoked visa, please provide the justification given for the revocation.
2. For those whose F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas were revoked in question 1, how many had their records terminated in SEVIS?
3. Since January 20, 2025, has the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) terminated the SEVIS records of any students attending school in Virginia whose nonimmigrant visas have not been revoked by the State Department? For each such termination, please provide the specific reason why their SEVIS records were terminated, and specify what evidence SEVP reviewed before terminating each record.
4. How would a Virginia student whose visa has been revoked and/or had their SEVIS record terminated be notified that this has happened? How would their schools be notified that this has happened? If a student or school believes that such revocation and/or termination has been made in error, what are the avenues for review or appeal of the revocation and/or termination? How long would such process take?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,