In an increasing number of cases, US immigration authorities have cancelled student permits for foreign nationals attending prestigious universities like Stanford, Harvard, and Tufts, which has alarmed university officials. 

Recently, many student visas have been cancelled, and schools usually find out only when federal immigration records are updated. These cancellations have affected both current students and recent graduates, according to statements from colleges across the country in the past few days. This is part of the Trump administration's broader push to more closely monitor international students. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that over 300 visas had been cancelled. Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, stated, "We are still trying to really get a good handle on what is happening, trying to try to track this and get a better understanding of the scope and breadth of it." 

One of the most well-known cases is that of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen and PhD student at Tufts University, who was detained by federal agents last month while walking down the street. Another case involves Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate from Columbia University, whose visa was cancelled after he took part in pro-Palestinian protests. Both Ozturk and Khalil are now being held in immigration detention centres as the government works to deport them.

Recently, many students and recent graduates in California have had their visas cancelled at several universities, including UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, and Stanford, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times on Monday. Two students, whose names have not been shared, have filed lawsuits in federal court, claiming their visas were cancelled without proper legal procedure. In some cases, the cancellations were based on small legal issues like traffic violations.

In a statement released on Friday, Stanford said, "The university learned of six students who had their student visas revoked." The institution stated it does not provide student or personnel records to immigration authorities unless compelled by law, and a working committee on immigration is still in session. On Sunday, Harvard announced that the student visas of three current students and two recent graduates had been cancelled. Similar visa cancellations have also been reported at other universities, including Dartmouth College, Minnesota State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon, according to the Associated Press. Officials from the State Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have not responded to requests for comment.

The State Department has always had the power to cancel visas, but according to Dalal-Dheini, the recent wave of cancellations seems wider and more organised than in the past. On April 5, anti-Trump protesters gathered in many U.S. cities, and visa cancellations were one of the key issues they highlighted. Some protest organisers used the cases of Ozturk and Khalil as examples of what they believe is unfair targeting of international students and a threat to free speech on college campuses.