UW International Students: Fear, Anxiety, and Uncertainty in Trump’s Capricious Visa Policies

One Hong Kong student at the University of Washington no longer raises her hand in class for fear of drawing attention to herself. Another student from Taiwan doesn’t react to social media posts that might seem at all anti-Trump.  

Those are just small snapshots of how fear, anxiety, and uncertainty have affected some international students at the University of Washington amid the Trump administration’s terminations – and occasionally later reinstatement – of foreign student visas across the nation.

Early in April, the federal government revoked the visas of 13 current University of Washington students and 10 recent graduates in postgraduate training, without giving prior notice or explanation to the university or the individuals affected, according to a UW News Public Statement. On April 28, though, UW announced in a public statement that all UW international Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records have been restored.

International students have long been a core part of the UW culture. In the Autumn 2024  academic quarter, there were 7,830 international students, accounting for 13% of the total student body population, according to the International Students at UW and Visa details. The number of international students at UW has remained relatively steady over the last decade. 

“International students add so much to our campus communities, helping to foster cross-cultural exchange, and contributing to a thriving campus culture that reflects the global marketplace that all UW students will enter when they graduate,” said Genevieve Haas, director of UW executive communications. According to Haas, the UW is working individually with each international student whose visa was revoked.  

Even after the reinstatement of the visas, uncertainty among international students remains.  

“I saw that they reversed the decision,” a student from Taiwan said. “It made me feel worse in a way that the government doesn’t think through their decision, while they have the power to change my life entirely.” The Taiwanese student requested to remain anonymous because of concerns about her visa status. Many other foreign students I contacted were reluctant to discuss the topic due to similar fears.  

More than 1,800 international students at 280 different colleges and universities across the nation had their visas canceled, according to Insider Higher Ed. A visa allows a non-citizen to enter the country. Some students’ visas were removed due to pro-Palestine activism, some for minor traffic violations. “The federal government does have wide latitude in revoking non-immigrant visas. It can be done for a variety of reasons,” says Octavian Jumanca, an immigration lawyer in Seattle. 

According to Jay Gairson, a Seattle immigration lawyer representing 10 international students whose student status was terminated, a student can legally remain in the country if their visa is revoked so long as they remain in status with SEVIS and do not violate their student-status terms.

Grounds for terminating a student’s status are stricter. For example, termination can result from a student failing to take a full course of study, work without authorization, or being convicted of a crime of violence punishable by more than one year in prison, according to Gairson. “Many of these students, by and large, have not been convicted of any crime,” Gairson said. 

Critics see Trump’s attack on international students as another tactic in his broader anti-immigration agenda. In a press conference on March 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration will remove foreign student visas if their actions run counter to the U.S. interests, for example pro-Hamas activism. 

But the Trump administration’s crackdown on students who have participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or advocacy has raised concerns over the potential violation of First Amendment rights. “You don’t really know when and where all of the protections of the Constitution apply to non-citizens in the same way that they apply to citizens,” Jumanca says. 

After many lawsuits challenging the visa revocations, the federal government on April 25 restored the visas of thousands of international students and their ability to study in the U.S.. Some international students have felt no relief. 

“I had a mental breakdown last week because of what’s happening,” the student from Taiwan said. “Everything is kind of out of my control, and I cannot do anything with it, and that really makes me feel helpless.” 

This student moved from Taiwan to the U.S. to experience the U.S. and a different culture. She feels like a vital part of the UW community and identifies as a Husky, even working as a university tour guide for potential future students. “I do feel like I have a root in this city,” she said. 

The Taiwanese student now feels reminded that she is “different” from the U.S.-born students. “There’s so many things that are unique about America. People like to say it’s the country of freedom, which I find very ironic in the current situation,” the Taiwanese student said. “Our freedoms are being taken away.”

On April 9, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement saying the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin to consider “alien” antisemitic activity on social media as a basis to deny immigration-benefit requests.

The UW student from Hong Kong, who also asked to remain anonymous, has begun to monitor her social media accounts, making sure not to like or comment on any content that could be considered anti-government. She describes the federal government’s actions as “deja vu.” 

“It kind of reminded me of how easy it is for authority in government to take away that sense of freedom. And it feels like what’s happening in America is moving towards what I have seen being implemented in Hong Kong,” she said. 

Having lived in Hong Kong until she was 18, the student said that citizens in her home country can be arrested for speaking against the government, leading to censorship, silencing, and fear among Hong Kongers – feelings now replicated by her experience in the U.S. 

The Hong Kong student has now been experiencing nightmares, often of being chased, stalked, watched, or even killed. “These nightmares are manifested from anxiety,” she said. She no longer participates in class discussions and is reassessing her post-graduation plans of remaining in the U.S. “I’ve got to be really careful where I tread,” the student from Hong Kong said. “I am just very much scared about what I say, what I do.” She has also chosen to opt out of a trip to Canada with friends out of fear of not being able to return to the U.S. 

The future of international student status in the U.S. remains precarious. According to Gairson, a new memo states that the Department of Homeland Security can terminate the status of international students who previously had their visas revoked. Gairson describes the government’s actions as self-fulfilling when they terminate a student, request the Department of State to revoke the visa, and then create a memo allowing the removal of students whose visas are revoked.

“It really just shows how volatile the situation is and how my status is so dependent on the whims of the administration. This absolutely did not give me any sense of relief or stability,” she said. “I don’t want my future to be so dependent on a changing political state.”

Gairson advises international students to be careful moving forward. “I would avoid going to protests. I would avoid accidentally walking through a protest. I would make sure I have an alibi anytime a protest was going on,” Gairson said. “Don’t drive recklessly. Don’t do petty little things that your US citizen friend might get away with.”