Wichita State University professor says 27 WSU graduate students had visas revoked

TOPEKA — The Kansas conference of the American Association of University Professors condemned the targeting of college and university international students and scholars by the administration of President Donald Trump.

The statement signed by Mary Turner, president of the Kansas AAUP, said it was wrong for the federal government to refuse scholars entry into the United States, revoke student visas or to take students into custody for proceedings that could include deportation.

“These actions, which are brazen attacks on the First Amendment and the right to learn, have been enacted by hidden bureaucrats and masked agents and have proceeded without any semblance of due process,” the statement said. “In addition to their impact on international students, they also strike at the heart of academic freedom and the international community of scholars.”

The Kansas conference of AAUP urged colleges and universities in the state to refuse to assist with the “assault on higher education.”

“At a moment when the future of higher education and free speech are in peril, Kansas higher education institutions have obligations beyond doing no harm,” the Kansas AAUP statement said. “If they fail to protect these international students and scholars, they jeopardize the safety and academic freedom of all students and scholars.”

Kansas higher education institutions enroll approximately 8,600 international students, Kansas AAUP said. It is not clear how many of these students had visas revoked by the Trump administration.

WSU’s visa revocations

Gamal Weheba, president of the AAUP-AFT chapter at Wichita State University, said the organization issued a resolution in support of international students in Wichita. He said in an interview that 27 graduate students at WSU had visas revoked during the spring semester.

“The international students are really scared,” said Weheba, a professor of engineering. “We care about the students, all of them, but especially international students.”

The majority of WSU’s international graduate students were enrolled in data science and computer science programs within the College of Engineering, Weheba said.

“We have to take a stand here,” he said. “Our basic message now to students is we’re here, we have your back.”

The AAUP resolution from Wichita State said the university administrators should commit to helping international students with degree completion, maintaining positions or stipends, and supporting legal action to challenge removal or rejection of student visas.

It said WSU President Richard Muma ought to issue a statement “clarifying student rights and legal protections to the student body, staff and faculty of the institution.”

The resolution asked WSU to provide direction to faculty on how to accommodate students who were unable to complete academic work in the spring semester.

Weheba said international students had studies interrupted after revocation of a visa or were afraid to attend classes for fear of drawing scrutiny or being taken into custody.

“This visa removal process has placed students in a legal limbo and induced fear and anxiety into the campus student community and adversely impacted the institutional mission,” the resolution said.

Neither WSU nor the Kansas Board of Regents immediately responded to requests for comment about the AAUP statements.

Kansas AAUP demands

Specifically, Kansas AAUP asked higher education administrators to cease turning over personal student information in response to federal investigations of alleged violations of Title VI the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Trump administration has relied on an interpretation of Title VI to launch inquiries into whether colleges or universities discriminated on the basis of race, color and national origin in federally funded programs.

Kansas AAUP urged higher education administrators to avoid voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement engaged in activities that could lead to deportation of students or scholars.

In addition, the statement asked colleges and universities in Kansas to not comply with Trump’s executive order calling on campus administrators to monitor and report on international students and staff.

Colleges and universities in Kansas should keep international students enrolled in the event of a visa revocation, legal status termination, detention or deportation, Kansas AAUP said. If possible, the statement said, students and scholars should be allowed to continue their studies remotely.

“Work swiftly and affirmatively — through lawsuits, if necessary — to stop the termination of legal status of students and scholars without any due process,” the statement said.

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The Kansas conference of the American Association of University Professors condemned the targeting of college and university international students and scholars by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Trump has issued executive orders aimed at ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs at colleges altogether. That’s led universities in Kansas and elsewhere to make sweeping changes in an effort to protect their federal funding.

Gov. Laura Kelly sent letters to Kansas’ congressional delegation urging the federal lawmakers to resist pressure to vote for Medicaid cuts that would deny health care to the most vulnerable people in the state.