Dozens Of IL College Students Lose Visas Amid Sweeping Federal Action

ILLINOIS — International students attending at least 10 universities across Illinois are among the hundreds nationwide whose visas have been revoked by the federal government in recent weeks, according to reports.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the government was revoking visas held by people acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’s war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges.

But many students nationwide say they don't fall under those categories. Students have filed lawsuits in several states, arguing they were denied due process.

In the Prairie State, affected students have attended Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Southern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois-Chicago and Augusta College, according to a tracker by Inside Higher Ed. University of Illinois-Springfield students have had visas terminated as well, according to a message last week from the school’s chancellor.

It’s unclear how many students have been affected in Illinois, but the number is more than two dozen, according to the tracker.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul is among the 19 attorneys general who filed an amicus brief supporting a challenge to what Raoul’s office characterized as the Trump administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy.”

“This policy blatantly disregards the First Amendment and the founding principle of protecting free speech in our country,” Raoul said in a news release. “It harms educational institutions, where free expression of political speech must be protected to allow students to learn from and engage with diverse viewpoints. These students and educators are in the country lawfully and should not have to live in fear that their speech will result in deportation.”

At least 600 students at more than 90 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with school officials. NAFSA, an association of international educators, said as many as 1,300 students have lost visas or had their status terminated, based on reports from colleges.

Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year, although Raoul’s news release said that some colleges and universities have already seen significant drops in applications and prospective enrollment of such students for the 2025-26 school year.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.