Trump administration strips legal residency of international students at CMU

• The Trump administration has abruptly terminated the legal residency of several Central Michigan University students
• Neither university officials nor the students were notified of the change, and federal officials have provided no rationale
• It wasn’t immediately clear whether other Michigan schools have been similarly impacted

Without notice or explanation, the Trump administration has stripped several current and former Central Michigan University international students of their right to be in the US, university officials announced Friday.

CMU staff discovered the situation while doing routine checks of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a Department of Homeland Security web portal containing information about international students.

Calling the situation "alarming," university spokesperson Ari Harris said CMU officials are scrambling to notify affected students, who now seem to have two options: Leave the country or reapply for permission to stay and hope the application is approved.

Harris said “several” students and former students were affected, but did not know an exact number. 

“These are members of our community that we have recruited to come here,” Harris said, adding that DHS officials have offered no explanation of why they revoked the students’ immigration records.

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DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Bridge Michigan has reached out to several other Michigan universities to see if they’ve been similarly impacted, and is awaiting responses.

It’s clear CMU is not alone. University officials across the country have recently discovered that the federal government quietly terminated their students’ legal residency. Some students were detained by immigration officials before school officials even knew their legal status had changed.

Facing declining enrollments, CMU officials have made a concerted effort to recruit international students in recent years. As of fall 2024, international students made up 11% of CMU’s 14,515 student body. 

Students targeted nationwide

The CMU developments come as the Trump administration makes a series of unprecedented moves to escalate deportations, including targeting people who came to the US legally. 

Immigration officials have detained some students for participating in protests against Israel's war in Gaza — most notably Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil — while claiming that their participation in protests amounted to antisemitism. 

In other cases, immigration officials have cited minor infractions like drunken driving, or provided no justification at all.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters this week that he has signed more than 300 letters revoking student visas and intends to keep doing so.

“They’re visitors to the country,” Rubio said. “If they’re taking activities that are counter to our foreign, to our national interest, to our foreign policy, we’ll revoke the visa.”

The Trump administration is embroiled in several lawsuits challenging the legality of its deportation policies. In some cases it has been ordered to halt deportation plans, and on Friday it was ordered to return a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison.

In a letter to students, faculty and staff, CMU President Neil MacKinnon and provost Paula Lancaster said the university cannot reverse the government’s decision, nor provide legal guidance or services to affected students. 

“To our international students, faculty, and staff: You are welcome here, and we are glad to have you as members of our community,” they wrote. “In uncertain times, we rely on our friends, colleagues, and neighbors to help us weather challenges.”

MacKinnon and Lancaster advised affected students to seek out an immigration lawyer, and vowed to review student records daily and notify anyone whose legal status changes.