Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition picketing on April 17, 2024.
(Bente Bouthier/WTIU News)
This story has been updated.
The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition posted on Instagram Wednesday morning that the Department of Homeland Security revoked visas for “several” international students who are members of the union.
IU Bloomington provost Rahul Shrivastav said yesterday that a “small number” of students had visas revoked, but the university didn’t provide more detail.
The graduate workers coalition has been active for several years striking and picketing for better wages for student teachers and elimination of fees for international students. It’s unclear whether the visa revocations are related to students’ involvement in the union.
IGWC spokesperson David Garner told WFIU/WTIU News that, “we want to protect our graduate workers, all of them, but particularly ones who are in a precarious situation right now.”
He confirmed that multiple union members had lost visas but didn't say a specific number.
“Right now, we really want to stress just how bonkers this is,” Garner said. “These are our colleagues. These are our friends. I mean, these aren't people you see across the world in a news clip. These are people that in the course of a week you see in the coffee shop.”
The Trump administration has revoked visas for hundreds of international students nationwide, some for their activism on campus. Several have been detained.
Garner added that he isn't sure whether the students' involvement in the union has anything to do with their visas being revoked.
“I think the biggest problem is that no reasons have been given for anything that's going on,” Garner said. “It's hard for me to speculate. I just don't know.”
The IGWC shared a list of resources for international students who are worried about their immigration status.
The ACLU of Indiana has also come out against the visa terminations, saying on social media that they pose "significant threats to the free speech rights of everyone in our country."
Executive director of the ACLU of Indiana Chris Daley encouraged students who have been affected to reach out to the organization.
“Just because you're an immigrant in this country doesn't mean you don't have due process rights. You do,” he said. “We want to make sure folks are aware of those, that they're getting good legal counsel and that they're able to protect themselves.”
Given the chaotic and unprecedented nature of the federal government's actions, Daley emphasized the importance for international students of creating a plan.
“People are being grabbed, they're being taken three or four or five states away, and it makes it incredibly difficult for them to assert the rights that they do have,” he said. “The more that folks can do to prepare in advance, the better.”
Daley recommended finding someone who can reach out to an attorney on your behalf and making sure a support system is in place for your children.
The IGWC is planning a protest at Sample Gates at noon Thursday, calling on the university to ensure the safety of those students.
