Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:58 p.m. on April 10 to include a statement from OU Students for Justice in Palestine.
An unspecified number of international students at Oklahoma universities and colleges are having their student visas terminated.
OU Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications to confirm whether any OU international student had their visas revoked. A spokesperson for the university said that due to FERPA protections, they were unable to provide any information regarding the situation.
Kesha Keith, director of strategic initiatives for OU’s Division of Student Affairs, wrote in an email to OU Daily that while the university does not comment on individual cases, it remains committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive campus environment for all students, including those navigating immigration or legal matters.
“Our priority continues to be the well-being of our students, their access to resources, and the delivery of timely support across all OU campuses,” Keith wrote. “In collaboration with campus partners, Student Affairs is prepared to assist students who may be experiencing uncertainty.”
Keith directed international students with visa-related concerns to contact International Student Services for guidance.
Farzaneh International Student Lounge on Dec. 4.
OU Daily reached out to International Student Services for comment, but it did not respond by the time of this article’s publication.
OU Daily also reached out to the Office of Global Engagement, who wrote in an email that it cannot comment on individual cases.
Student Government Association President Avery Dunlap wrote in a text message to OU Daily that she has been working with Student Affairs to see how they can support students during this time.
“It is hard to hear this news of course,” Dunlap said. “To see students who come to the U.S. to get a degree and an American education be denied from that opportunity is saddening. That access is something many of us take for granted.”
Dunlap said she understands many students might feel frightened or confused during this time and she wants to help find a solution on the university scale to support them.
While the number of potentially affected students is unclear in Norman, eight Oklahoma State University students had their immigration records terminated by the U.S. government, according to The O’Colly, Oklahoma State’s student newspaper, in a report published Tuesday. In Edmond, the University of Central Oklahoma confirmed to KOCO that four students had their visas revoked. And in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Christian University told KFOR two of their students had their visas revoked.
Gov. Kevin Stitt addressed the reported revoked visas during a press conference Wednesday stating that while the state had no prior knowledge of the decisions, he trusted the federal government’s judgement.
“There is either some kind of criminal activity, there is something happening with those visas that they say is a danger to the United States of America,” Stitt said. “I totally trust President Trump that they vetted those.”
Stitt spoke about how the revocations may be in relation to student behavior at pro-Palestinian campus protests that have occurred nationally over the past year.
“We see these crazies doing some kind of crazy protests and anti-Semitism and we see some crazy stuff from other universities … ,” Stitt said. “If you’re going to be knuckleheads and criminals, me and every Oklahoman, at least the Oklahomans I know, want those people out of our state and out of our country.”
OU Students for Justice in Palestine released a joint statement with Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at Oklahoma State University and University of Central Oklahoma on Thursday regarding the revoked visas.
In the statement, SJP confirmed that the students whose visas were revoked were not involved in SJP organizing.
"They were targeted as part of a larger effort to silence our movement, an effort which targets students at random to spread fear and uncertainty," the statement read.
SJP affirmed its vow to resist the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campuses and rejected the revocation of student visas.
"These attacks will not deter us; they will only fuel the flames of liberation. The student movement will only grow stronger," the statement read.
Visas revoked nationally
The Trump administration has reportedly unexpectedly revoked visas of international students across the country. Schools across the country that have reported having students with a terminated legal status include Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the University of California at Los Angeles and Ohio State University.
International applicants who are accepted into U.S. colleges must obtain a visa and follow strict rules to study in the U.S. These visas can be revoked if they violate those rules, for example, working off campus without permission, failing to maintain a full class load, or being charged with a crime.
If a student has their visa revoked it “rarely” means their visa status in the online database is terminated. A student can have their visa reinstated if they meet certain requirements.
On March 4, President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that any universities allowing “illegal protests” would lose federal funding and any “agitators” would be subject to “imprisonment, deportation and permanent expulsion depending on the crime.”
Trump did not specify what would constitute an “illegal” protest, but wrote that masks would not be allowed. The Trump administration has targeted students who have been involved with pro-Palestinian activism or speech with a few high-profile detentions of students. On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A Palestinian activist, Khalil played a prominent role in campus protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University.
Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University, was detained by masked agents in plainclothes as she walked to meet friends for dinner. She said she was targeted over an op-ed about Gaza that she wrote in the Tufts Daily, the university’s student newspaper.
On Monday, OU law professor Joseph Thai spoke at an event hosted by the OU Law Students for Palestine and the OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors in the Bell Courtroom of the OU Law Center. There, Thai addressed national concerns regarding free speech rights and protests around college campuses. Thai previously told OU Daily on March 4 that Trump’s assertion of pro-Palestinan protests as “illegal” was “backwards.”
On March 5, OU Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications regarding Trump’s statements on Truth Social about protests and how the university would comply. OU Marketing and Communications directed the Daily to the university’s guidelines regarding expressive activity.
“The University of Oklahoma is dedicated to fostering the free exchange of ideas and opinions and committed to the principles of free speech and expression. Likewise, the University recognizes the historic significance of speech and assembly in society generally and on college campuses in particular,” the first sentences of the guideline read.
OU Students for Justice in Palestine protest on March 10.
According to the guidelines, the outdoor areas of campus generally accessible to the public can be used for expressive activity on a first-come, first-served basis. OU does not limit demonstration activity taking place along public roads and sidewalks if it does not unreasonably restrict pedestrian traffic, damage landscaping, disrupt the normal operations of the university or otherwise violate law or university policy.
Masks, bandanas or other material to cover a person's face are prohibited, but restrictions do not include coverings for health or religious purposes or that are incidental to amusement, entertainment, holiday events, protection from weather or for prescribed medical purposes.
This story was edited by Ismael Lele and Ana Barboza.
