Ruiyan Wang

The federal government terminated the visas of two international students at Yale, according to Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars.

In a Monday email to the News, Ozan Say, the director of the OISS, wrote that the office discovered “there have been two SEVIS terminations in the Yale community,” referring to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which the Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain information about international students. The News could not verify the students’ identities as of Monday night. 

“As soon as we became aware of this information, we notified the individuals of the terminations and immediately provided access to legal assistance,” Say added. He did not immediately clarify what the legal assistance looked like.

The two terminations follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Saturday announcement revoking all visas of South Sudanese passport holders, effective immediately, accusing the African nation of failing to comply with U.S. immigration enforcement. The News was able to confirm that at least one South Sudanese student attends Yale College.

In the past week, multiple universities have announced that the federal government has revoked visas from some of their international students. On March 27, Rubio claimed that his office has revoked at least 300 visas since January.

“There is no right to a student visa,” Rubio stated in a press release on March 28. “We can cancel a student visa under the law just the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate.”

The University’s Office of International Students and Scholars’ list of immigration FAQs notes that Yale partners with immigration attorneys who can provide short-term legal guidance and assistance to students and scholars about immigration issues, including visas.

The website also notes that OISS advisers can help students identify longer-term legal assistance if they require ongoing help.

“Given the recent government actions and updates, OISS staff and advisers have been in close contact with members of Yale’s community of international students and scholars, answering questions and providing guidance and support,” Say said.

Aside from revoking student visas, the federal government has also detained multiple international students and scholars, including individuals who have publicly expressed pro-Palestinian views. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University alum and green card holder, on March 9 and Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University on a student visa, on March 25.

On April 1, the OISS hosted a “Know Your Rights” webinar that discussed how to interact with ICE agents, risks of participating in protests and First Amendment protections. More than 500 Yale affiliates attended the event.

A second “Know Your Rights” webinar is planned for the near future, Say added, and another webinar for international faculty and staff will be held on Wednesday.

The OISS is located at 421 Temple St.