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At least nine students, recent graduates, and post-doctoral students at the Cambridge University have had their visas and immigration status unexpectedly revoked, said MIT’s president.
Since taking office, Trump has begun cracking down on college activism after anti-Israel protests last year. (Reuters)
Amid the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on US campuses since the widespread pro-Palestinian protests last year, at least nine students connected to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have had their visas revoked in the last week without any prior notice, according to the school’s president Sally Kornbluth.
In a letter to the MIT community, Kornbluth said the threat of revocations amid Trump’s crackdown on educational institutions and foreign students will have a chilling effect on “top talent” worldwide that will “damage American competitiveness and scientific leadership for years to come.”
At least nine students, recent graduates, and post-doctoral students at the Cambridge University have had their visas and immigration status unexpectedly revoked, said Kornbluth in her letter. The MIT president said these government actions are interfering with the normal functioning of the school and diminishing its ability to serve the nation and attract the world’s finest talent.
‘Alarmed By Possibility Of Future Actions’
One of the students has independently filed a lawsuit against the federal government. “We are extremely concerned that there appears to have been no notice or explanation from the government for the revocation,” said Kornbluth in her letter.
“Our concern extends to all the members of our community who face such unexpected revocations, and we know that our international community — indeed our campus community broadly ― is alarmed by the possibility of future actions,” she added.
Separately, MIT has signed onto a federal lawsuit challenging the newly imposed 15% cap on indirect reimbursements in government-funded research by the Department of Energy, the president wrote. This came after the department said it would no longer cover indirect costs at previously agreed-to rates in grants to universities. MIT noted that nearly 1,000 members of its community rely on these grants, which were now at risk.
Trump’s Crackdown
The move comes amid the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on immigration as well as political activism that is perceived as hostile to conservatives. The government has cancelled the visas of nearly 530 students, faculty and researchers across 88 colleges and universities, according to reports.
The government also froze $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard University after rejecting a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-Semitism. These steps included shutting down diversity offices and cooperating with the screenings of international students.
In a letter to students and faculty, Harvard president Alan Garber vowed to defy the government, insisting that the school would not “negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights.”
Campuses across the country were rocked last year by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, with some resulting in violent clashes involving police and pro-Israel protests. Trump and other Republicans have accused the activists of supporting Hamas.
(with agency inputs)
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
