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VOL. 70, NO. 7 APRIL 16, 2025 THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
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VISAS REVOKED Two VCU students, one recent graduate, 1,234 nationwide and counting Thousands protest in the city — and organizers plan for more HECIEL NIEVES BONILLA Contributing Writer
Two VCU international students and one alum had their visas revoked by the federal government last week. Photo by Kieran Stevens. ANDREW KERLEY Contributing Writer
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wo VCU students and one alum recently had their visas terminated, joining a national trend of hundreds of international college students having their immigration statuses changed. The news first broke on April 10. Privacy laws prevent the university from sharing additional details, including why the visas were revoked, according to VCU spokesman Michael Porter. At least 23 students in Virginia have had their immigration statuses changed as of April 12, according to data acquired by Inside Higher Ed. Adding to the total are 10 at George Mason University, nine at Virginia Tech and one at the University of Virginia. At least 1,234 international students and recent graduates have been identified nationwide as of April 15. VCU leaders, including President Michael R ao and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos, released a statement on April 11 saying the university “stands with the international community” and encouraged them to seek immigration lawyers. “To our international Rams: You are a very important part of our community and highly valued for all of the good things you bring to VCU. You are vital. And you are not alone,” the statement read.
VCU Global Education Office Immigration Services sent an email on April 9 to 1700 international students, scholars and employees on visas sponsored by VCU recommending they “carry their documents” at all times. It also instructed students on their rights if approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. GEOIS has not been communicating with ICE or any other federal government regarding international students outside of the regular procedures required to get students sponsored, Director Paul Babitts stated in an email. Concerns over free speech protections started after the high-profile ICE detainment of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil on March 8, according to the Columbia Spectator. Khalil, a Palestinian activist, served as a negotiator for the April 2024 encampment at the university that inspired students at
hundreds of schools across the country to follow suit, including VCU. Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched an initiative ahead of Khalil’s arrest to identify and revoke the visas of international students who “appear to support Hamas,” according to Axios. The reviews use artificial intelligence to scan the social media pages of thousands of students. One international engineering student at VCU, who wished to remain anonymous, said they made an effort to study abroad and come to the United States. Now they receive constant worried calls from their family in their home country, where most schools do not accept transfer credits. “It’s scary, just talking about an issue could get your whole educational career gone, just like that,” the student said. Continued on page 3
Large demonstrations against the Trump administration’s executive actions, cuts to federal spending and a number of related issues have taken place regularly in Richmond in the past weeks and are planned to continue, including as soon as Saturday, April 19. Demonstrations in opposition to President Donald Trump’s second term began in the city the day he was inaugurated with the “We Fight Back” protest in Monroe Park. A couple dozen residents attended the speeches held by Virginia’s branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Jan. 20, according to ABC8. Focuses of the day also included advocating for worker concerns and a free Palestine, according to David Robbins, an organizer of that event. The first demonstration associated with the #50501 movement took place in Richmond along with other major cities around the country on Feb. 5. #50501 began as a decentralized effort on social media to coordinate antiadministration action nationwide, according to the Associated Press. Hundreds of people, many with signs, gathered at the Bell Tower on the Virginia Capitol grounds on April 5 to hear speakers discuss Project 2025, the playbook for a stronger executive capable of unilateral right-wing policy which was produced by much of Trump’s newly instated staff. Since early February, what became the Virginia chapter of a national nonviolent protest organizer under the ‘50-50-1’ name has been the main organizer of regular demonstrations. They were the main organizers of the “No Kings Day” protest on Feb. 17 to coincide with President’s Day, according to a previous report by The Commonwealth Times. Continued on next page
A chalk message written on the ground at Park Plaza. Photo by Kieran Stevens.
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Generative AI is a symptom, not the problem
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see spectrum page 9
see opinions page 12