International students from all over the country are the newest target for President Donald Trump’s sweeping attack on the United States. Now, this attack has arrived right at our front door, and Northeastern has found itself with a target on its back.
On Monday, a Northeastern spokesperson confirmed that the State Department had revoked the visas of 18 Northeastern students and 22 alumni. While it is unclear why they were canceled, the larger message Trump sends to our international and student community is explicit: If you disagree with our administration, we will come for your visa status.
It is difficult to completely understand Trump’s actions, but one thing is clear: The Trump administration does not value your constitutional rights if you are an international student.
The reason for this explicit violation is also unclear, but we can make some informed assumptions. Trump and his administration are afraid of the power student protests and demonstrations yield. The pro-Palestine student encampments last spring garnered national attention and showed us that college students are loud and can shake up the world.
According to Northeastern’s “Navigating a New Political Landscape” FAQ page, the Department of State is targeting visa holders who have “allegedly engaged in criminal behavior.” There is no information explaining what those activities are on the website, and it seems like our university leaders will not be addressing this anytime soon. Across the country, people have had visas revoked over violations as trivial as traffic infractions.
While there is currently no evidence that Northeastern students’ visas were revoked due to political advocacy or speech, cases such as Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts student who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers in March, point to speech being utilized as a factor in visa withdrawal. So, in this time of extreme uncertainty, how are you going to be affected?
Here is how to play it safe: Unprecedentedly, political protest participation is a newfound reason for visa revocation and potential deportation. This is a new low for the Trump administration, since student visa holders have First Amendment rights, including the right to protest.
Unfortunately, Trump and his administration understand the power people hold and want us to be scared. Visa terminations are a fearmongering tactic utilized by populist leaders to divide and confuse the population. Chaos is a powerful form of suppression. You are justified if you are an F-1 or J-1 visa holder and you are afraid. You are justified if you are someone fearing the revocation of your student visa. But if you are a citizen complaining about Trump’s policies and wondering what our world will look like in four years, I beg you to make your voice heard.
At this moment, anger is an appropriate reaction from the Northeastern community. As a community, we can rally support and make our voices heard. Here, we held an encampment, we can protect our fellow students in a time of crisis. Remember when we complained about how we lack a student community? This is a prime example of how, as a community, we can demand action and show the administration that we want answers.
Northeastern administrators are now at a crossroads. They can be on the side of history that fought back against a populist, strongman executive, or they can sacrifice their dignity along with the rest of this country and be silent as the federal government eventually detains and deports their students.
As a university that claims to be committed to integrity and higher education, we must fight to uphold these values. How honorable is it to sit back and allow your student population to flail and fear the cancellation of their legal status in the United States? How global and diverse will these institutions be when every international student who publicly disagrees with the Trump administration is expelled? Are these universities prestigious when they cannot even issue a statement defending their very own students?
Throughout history, America’s values have been tested. The women’s suffrage movement, the Civil Rights Movement and the LGBTQ+ rights movement all transformed society and the law through the act of peaceful protest. We are in transitional and unprecedented times, but we must remember that we cannot give up the fight to maintain our democratic values and ideals.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Former president Franklin Roosevelt provided us with these words during his first inaugural address, and they ring true to this day. Trump is afraid of our political power as students and Americans, and we will rise to the occasion and prevent him from becoming the dictator that he is hoping to become.
As Northeastern students, there are a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of unknowns. Luckily, there is hope. The only thing worse than someone who speaks their mind to divide and distract people is someone who wields their power to disrupt and deteriorate the historic system that is the United States of America. Be patriotic and be loud, Northeastern, because we simply do not know what tomorrow brings.
As a student body, we must stand with our international students and hold the administration accountable for the protection it owes them.
Ava Vitiello is a second-year political science major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at vitiello.a@northeastern.edu.
