UW students rally against international student visa revocations

Colleges around the country, including the University of Washington, are reporting cases of international students suddenly learning their visas have been revoked.

SEATTLE - Dozens of University of Washington students, researchers and academic workers rallied on campus this week, demanding answers and support after visa revocations and federal funding cuts impacted international students and recent graduates.

Among those sounding the alarm is Levin Kim, a UW Ph.D. student on an F-1 visa and president of the local UAW 4121 union.

"We're seeing unprecedented attacks on international students and international workers that the Trump administration is doing," Kim said. "It's certainly increased, and that is adding to the fear and the anxiety that I have every day."

University of Washington student visas revoked

The backstory:

University officials say five current international students and four recent graduates had their visas revoked without prior notice. The university discovered the cancelations during routine checks of the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

According to a UW statement released Monday, the revocations were "due to immigration status violations," saying specific details were not shared. The university emphasized there is no indication the actions were linked to activism or protected speech.

What they're saying:

Still, students are unnerved.

"I’m not going to lie to you—I’m scared," Kim said. "I’m an international student. I check my portal every single day."

Kim, who has studied in the U.S. for six years, says the climate for international students has shifted dramatically under the Trump administration.

"Clearly, this impacts people psychologically. It is a scary moment, and it is designed to invoke fear and it is designed to have a chilling effect," Kim said.

She added that the problem isn’t unique to UW.

"We don't know why visas are being revoked and it's not just UW," Kim said. "At University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University, there's hundreds of these cases, and I think we're still reacting and trying to figure out what's going on."

Despite university reassurances, Kim said he begins each day checking news alerts and group chats, anticipating more changes.

"I don’t know what I’m going to wake up to each morning," Kim said. "But at the same time I also know that I’m going to be seeing news articles alongside texts and organizing plans from fellow union members."

Federal research funding slashed

Why you should care:

UW molecular and cellular biology graduate student Arjun Kumar, whose federal research funding was recently slashed, also participated in the rally.

"These roles that have been cut are critically important for protecting human health in America, and they're important for supporting the biomedical research enterprise, which depends on the universities here in America," Kumar said.

Kumar is currently researching the immune system and its difficulty in fighting cancer—work he says has already led to new insights and believes could yield breakthroughs in treatment. He and others at the rally said federal cuts jeopardize advancements in critical medical research.

As chants of "What are we going to do? Melt ICE!" rang out at the rally, students demanded more transparency and support from the university administration.

"We want our UW administration to be protecting our students, protecting our international community, as well as doing whatever they can to stop the funding cuts as well," Kim said.

In response, the university said it is reaching out to affected students and offering academic, legal and mental health resources through its International Student Services office.

"We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these students and graduates and are working to support them," UW said in a statement.

What's next:

Though concerned, Kim says organizing with other union members has helped her feel less alone.

"That gives me incredible strength and hope, because I know from experience that this is how we have been able to fight back similar attacks in the past," Kim said.

Still, she believes the broader political climate cannot be ignored.

"Over the last two months we’ve seen fairly clearly what the Trump administration’s political agenda is," Kim said. "That includes dismantling public education, dismantling public healthcare, dismantling the future of academic research… These attacks that they’re targeting international students [with] are deeply related to that."

For now, Kim says he and other international students are holding onto solidarity, leaning on one another for strength amid a shifting landscape.

"Every day is filled with different kinds of emotions, from fear to anxiety to incredible shows of solidarity and strength," he said. "A lot of my day is filled with conversations with other international workers that are building power to fight back… and to build the university that we want."

The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.