Updated March 28 at 7:51 p.m. EST.
After multiple universities across the country have reported student visa revoking and student detainment, Temple has reaffirmed its stance of supporting international students if federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents interact with them on campus.
President John Fry referenced a number of recent college student detainments in a letter to the university community Friday afternoon. He also mentioned the U.S. Department of State’s revoking of at least 300 student visas as of Thursday.
“News like this is distressing and frightening, especially for international members of our community,” Fry wrote. “Please know that if a similar situation were to arise here at Temple University, we are committed to doing all we lawfully can to assist our students in these circumstances.”
Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and Columbia University graduate, was detained on March 8 outside of his Columbia-owned apartment after negotiating on behalf of pro-Palestine activists at Columbia. Rumeysa Ozturk, an F-1 visa holder and current Ph.D. student at Tufts University, was detained March 25 after helping to co-writing a pro-Palestine opinion piece a year ago in the Tufts Daily, the school’s student newspaper.
Temple highly recommends that international students postpone all international travel and consult with a qualified immigration attorney before leaving the country until more information is available. The university has also stated there are no reports of any federal ICE officers or Customs and Border Protection agents on campus.
If a member of the Temple community interacts with ICE or CBP, they are to follow the established protocol of contacting University Counsel, Fry wrote. He also reminded students to utilize support resources and the International Student and Scholar Services office.
“We have been constantly updating students,” said Leah Hetzell, the director of International Students and Scholar Services, in an interview with The Temple News this week. “And in terms of resources, we are very well connected with resources on campus like Tuttleman, and are regularly sharing information as to how to utilize our sources.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated Rumeysa Ozturk’s immigration status. It has since been corrected.
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