As the federal government has been targeting international students by revoking visas and, in many cases, terminating legal residency, members of our local community are being impacted in ways that devastate and uproot the foundation they’ve laid in the U.S. As of Tuesday, April 8, at least three Seattle University graduates, each on post-completion Optional Practical Training, have had their visas revoked. The University of Washington has had the number of students with revoked visas increase to 20 as of Wednesday, April 16, and other universities across the country are seeing their students’ visas suddenly canceled.
With each day, checks of international student records in the federal government’s Student Exchange & Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reveal more and more international students are having their status terminated. Largely in response to pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses, though the revoked visas of Seattle U students were not the result of student speech, the Trump administration’s steps to detain and silence students are raising anxiety about the extent to which students can express their beliefs, if at all.
On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil was detained by ICE officials in the lobby of his apartment, returning from dinner with his wife. Khalil was a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He has yet to face any criminal charges. Trump’s State Department revoked his student visa and green card on the grounds of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University. This is a direct attack on the First Amendment. A lawful resident of our country is being held in a detention facility awaiting deportation proceedings over his exercise of this right.
The chilling effect of his arrest, and others like it, cannot be understated. Millions of Americans here with green cards or on student visas now rightfully fear that a social media post or any other form of public expression criticizing U.S. policy toward the state of Israel could risk upending their entire lives. If these legal residents don’t have free speech rights because they are non-citizens, then what’s next? Deportations for climate activism? For expressing support for LGBTQ+ rights? For speaking out against the Trump administration?
Nobody in our country should be driven to silence out of fear of government persecution in response to their voice. Ever. It is in the absence of expression that fascism grows, and it is under fascism that expression can be deadly.
Journalism is meant to tell the stories that otherwise would never be told. In the wake of visa cancellations for many students on F1 and J1 visas, whose only “crime” was exercising their freedom of speech, fewer people will be willing to share their truth with journalists. It is becoming nearly impossible to tell the full story.
Who would want to express their views if it could uproot their entire life? We can’t blame anyone for wishing to stay silent to protect themselves. But fascism wins when we all live in fear, and fear wins when there is nobody left to stand up.
As journalists, we want to speak to students here on visas about this issue, about their fears, their anger, their despair. However, we understand how students on visas now must put themselves in potential danger to express their views in a newspaper like ours. We support students in making decisions regarding exercising speech that are best for them and their circumstances.
If you have a story to be told, The Spectator will utilize all resources possible to serve as a platform for you to speak in a manner that does not endanger yourself. You can send your opinions and personal narratives to our opinion editor, Daniel Truog, by email at dtruog@su-spectator.com. We want to hear your opinions and we want to publish them for others to hear. If you’re worried about sharing your identity, reach out to Daniel to start a conversation about publishing a piece anonymously.
Ultimately, the safety of our community is The Spectator’s first priority. If you want to speak out, we are here to help you do so. If you don’t, we stand with you.