Visas for Cal Poly international student, 3 alumni revoked as Trump cracks down on immigration
One international Cal Poly student and three recent graduates have had their visas revoked, the university said.
Cal Poly media spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune the university was notified through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that one of the university’s currently enrolled international students’ visas was revoked.
The university later learned that three recent Cal Poly alums with temporary employment authorization had their work visas revoked, Lazier said.
Out of privacy concerns, the university did not have any other details to provide about any of the individuals, Lazier said.
The Cal Poly student and recent graduates were a part of a nationwide crackdown on foreign students carried out over the weekend by the Trump administration, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the international students that their visas were terminated and ordered them to leave the country immediately.
The visas of 40 students in the California State University system were revoked as of Wednesday, CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith told The Tribune in an email statement. No additional information was shared to protect students’ privacy.
At least 47 other students in the University of California system and at Stanford have had their visas revoked, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Associated Press reported that some of the international students with now canceled visas have been targeted over pro-Palestinian activism or criminal infractions — even traffic violations — while others have been left wondering why their visas were terminated.
It is unclear if the Cal Poly student or alums — or any other California students — were involved in activism or criminal activities.
Foreign students get visas revoked statewide
The Cal Poly students add to a growing list of foreign students who study at California colleges whose visas have been canceled.
Four Stanford students and two recent graduates have had their student visas revoked, the university said in a news release Friday.
The same happened to four current and two former UC Berkeley students whose and non-immigrant status was terminated, the university said in a message to students and staff on Monday.
At UC Davis, the federal government has terminated entry visas for 12 international students and recent graduates, the Sacramento Bee reported. Multiple more students at Sacramento State had their visas revoked, the Bee reported, as well as six students at UCLA, the university announced Sunday. The Bee reported the revocations hit at least nine international students at UCLA.
UC Riverside announced Monday the federal government terminated six student visas — two for current students and four for recent graduates — with no detailed reason.
Multiple more student visas were canceled at UC San Diego and UC Irvine, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The University of California president’s office confirmed in a statement on Friday that international students at several UC campuses had their visas terminated.
Executive order to deport students
President Donald Trump in January issued an executive order for federal agents to deport international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Newsweek reported that Trump reportedly told donors during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would crush pro-Palestinian protests and revoke visas for international students who attended them if he won back the White House.
Late last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. State Department has revoked at least 300 visas, mostly over pro-Palestinian protests, in a federal crackdown on the activism of foreign-born residents, UPI reported. Rubio later clarified to reporters that the visas revoked are mostly student visas but some were visitor visas, too.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Trump administration canceled dozens of international student visas at California campuses — including one UC San Diego student who was detained for deportation at the border.
When asked if the visa cancellations had to do with students who protested or other matters, U.S. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the L.A. Times in an email “we’d have to look on a case-by-case basis.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM.
