All four visas reinstated at Cal Poly as part of U.S. Department of Justice reversal
This is a cross-published piece with Mustang News, more information can be found here.
This is a developing story, Mustang News will update as more information becomes available.
4/28, 12:23 p.m.: As of Monday morning, university communications informed Mustang News that all visas were reinstated.
All four visas have been reinstated to the one international student and three recent alumni previously affected by nationwide visa revocations, the university learned Monday morning.
The four affected Cal Poly community members’ visas initially were revoked, then terminated, confirmed by University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.
On Friday morning, a federal court hearing announced mass visa terminations were illegal The New York Times reported.
Across the Cal State system, 15 students had their visas reinstated, according to Cal State spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith. The latest data from the Cal State Federal Updates page shows that 70 student visas were revoked systemwide.
More than 1,800 student visas have been revoked nationwide since the crackdown began, Inside Higher Ed reported.
In the hearing, officials announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will stop terminating visas and standardize its approach instead, The New York Times reported.
Due to privacy concerns, Cal Poly could not provide additional details about the impacted individuals, according to an email from university spokesperson Matt Lazier.
The visa revocations trace back to an executive order signed in January by the Trump administration, which called for the deportation of international students considered “Hamas sympathizers,” according to a White House fact sheet. Federal agencies began enforcing this order, with the State Department revoking 300 visas in late March, according to a press briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
On April 11, four visas were revoked at Cal Poly, impacting one current student and three alumni, Mustang News previously reported.
This quarter, Cal Poly has 202 enrolled international students, making up less than 1% of the student body, Lazier said in his email.
Since the visa revocations started, more than 100 lawsuits have been filed nationwide, resulting in orders requiring the administration to backtrack its actions, POLITICO reported.
Many of these reinstatements happened to international students cited for minor legal infractions, such as underage drinking or driving without a license, while other students had no criminal record at all, Inside Higher Ed reported.
