Trump administration revokes Murray State international student’s visa

Republished from Kentucky Lantern

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Another international student’s visa has been revoked in Kentucky, this time at Murray State University.

According to local news reports, Murray State shared information about the student’s visa being revoked by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. A university spokesperson declined to give further information to protect the student’s privacy. 

The news comes amid Trump administration efforts to ramp up deportations. Inside Higher Ed reported that as of Friday, more than 1,550 international students and recent graduates have had their legal status changed by the U.S. State Department

Murray State College Democrats penned an open letter criticizing the university administration for not alerting students sooner to the visa revocation and asking for clearer information about the university’s response. “To be clear, we are not asking that personal information be released, just notification of when law enforcement is present and/or actively targeting students on campuses,” the letter says.

The College Democrats said students and their families choose colleges like Murray because they trust they will be safe there and that Murray “boasts about having international students from over 50 different countries.”

“Every student that seeks to learn at MSU has the right to do so without fear of persecution,” the letter reads. “Actions taken by administration are the only way to prove that the university cares about and will protect those rights.” 

A Murray spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Friday afternoon. 

Earlier this month, the University of Kentucky reported a “small number” of graduate students had their visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. Officials from private Campbellsville University told Inside Higher Ed that some of its’ international students had their visas revoked but declined to say how many.

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