Tim Tai

Yale student leaders held a “Day of Action” on Monday to oppose a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule that they argue would threaten international students and weaken the University’s academic environment.

Student government representatives — from the Yale College Council, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly — joined UNITE HERE Local 33, Yale’s graduate student union, in encouraging students to submit public comments against the proposed federal policy that would restrict campus opportunities for international students.

The proposed rule, introduced in late August, would overhaul student visa regulations by replacing the flexible “duration of status” system with a fixed admission period capped at four years. The deadline to submit public comments was Monday.

The rule would bar undergraduates from changing majors during their first year, prevent graduate students from shifting programs, reduce the post-graduation grace period from 60 days to 30 days and require repeated visa extension applications which could be denied.

In a statement to the News, Saman Haddad LAW ’26, the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, called the measure “an unacceptable erosion of student autonomy and classroom viewpoint diversity.”

“This is not the first time the Trump Administration has targeted international students, and it will not be the last,” Haddad added.

On Aug. 28, the University’s Office of International Students and Scholars issued a statement that provided information about the proposal and stated that the University would “analyze the proposed rule language” and “post additional updates, guidance, and FAQs.”

The office held a town hall webinar on Sept. 10 about the proposal and informed attendees how to submit comments to the Department of Homeland Security. According to a presentation delivered during the webinar, the international students office was “advocating against proposed changes in coordination with peer institutions, NAFSA, and Yale Office of Federal Relations.”

NAFSA is the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors.

The Association of American Universities, of which Yale is a member, signed on to a Sept. 16 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, asking that the department extend the public comment period past Sept. 29.

Organizers of Monday’s “Day of Action” at Yale tabled on Cross Campus, Science Hill and the medical campus. They distributed flyers saying “Protect Our Friends” and “International Students’ Academic Freedom Is At Stake.”

The flyers included QR codes linking to a portal where students could formally submit public comments on the proposed rule.

In a statement to the News, the Graduate Student Assembly described the proposal as a fundamental shift that could “discourage innovation or academic risk-taking” and lead to “a decline in international student enrollment.”

Adam Waters GRD ’26, the president of Local 33, also emphasized the importance of students and researchers from outside the United States.

“International graduate workers and postdocs are a vital part of our community and their work helps maintain Yale’s position as a global leader in research and science,” Waters wrote in a statement to the News.

YCC President Andrew Boanoh ’27 said in an interview that he first learned of the proposed rule from graduate student leaders and saw his role as mobilizing undergraduates.

“I think there’s been, generally speaking, sort of a net of fear being cast around organizing and mobilizing people towards causes like this,” Boanoh said. “My best friend is an international student and told me, ‘I’m not going to come to the table, but I support what you’re doing. Thanks for doing this on our behalf.’”

Organizers pointed to precedent in their strategy. In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security introduced a similar proposal, which was ultimately withdrawn in 2021 after drawing more than 30,000 public comments from students, faculty and institutions across the country, according to NAFSA.

The Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002.