Updated April 3 at 10:06 a.m. EST.
An unnamed Temple student had their student visa revoked by the Secretary of State for unknown reasons, the university’s Office of Global Engagement discovered in a routine review of visa records.
The student, whose identity was not shared out of concern for their privacy, elected to return to their home country, President John Fry wrote in a statement to the Temple community Wednesday.
“I recognize that news like this is deeply alarming,” Fry wrote. “This is true for all Temple students, faculty and staff but it is especially true for international members of our community. Please know our international students, faculty and staff are valued members of our community, and we are committed to doing all we lawfully can to assist in circumstances like this.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that more than 300 visas had been revoked for “taking activities that are counter to national interest and foreign policy.” Rubio said that most to all of the visas were revoked due to participation in pro-Palestine protests or potential criminal activity.
The student was unaware of the case until the Office of Global Engagement contacted the student last Thursday after a routine check. They received an email from the Department of State advising that their visa has been revoked and that the message recommended that the student return home.
No reasoning had been given for the visa termination, consistent with other reports from other universities, Martyn Miller, Temple’s assistant vice president for global engagement, told The Temple News Wednesday.
Fry confirmed that there have been no reports of federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers on campus and reminded students to use the established protocol in case of an interaction.
The visa revoking comes almost a week after Fry advised international students against travel and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to supporting its visa-holding students.
The university is holding a pre-planned discussion event Friday at 1 p.m. with an immigration attorney who is available to speak with international students, faculty and staff about travel concerns or current events, Miller said.
“We understand, appreciate and acknowledge the fears right now, but we would hope that [the international community at Temple] would have confidence and the support and advice they need to get through this,” Miller said. “But they need to understand that their academic success is what we are here for and is our goal, so we do what we can, along with our university partners, to ensure that they achieve that goal.”
This story is developing. Please return to this page for updates.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated Assistant Vice President for Global Engagement Martyn Miller’s title at the university. It has since been corrected.
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