The Department of Homeland Security cancelled the legal status of three recent University of Louisville graduates who are overseas students and were working under the Optional Practical Training program.
Louisville Public Media reports that an official for the university confirmed to Kentucky Public Radio that their visa database records had been terminated, a week after being asked if enrolled students or those in work placement programs had their visas revoked.
The three graduates were part of the federal Optional Practical Training program, which allows overseas students on F-1 visas to work temporarily in jobs that are directly connected to their major field of study. Students in science and technology can work for up to three years while waiting for other job permits.
University of Louisville official John Karman wrote in an email that the former students had their visa records terminated in the federal database. He added that the university is not aware of any current students who have had their records terminated, “nor are we aware of any Visa revocations.”
According to the Associated Press, around 242,000 foreigners are employed through the OPT program, while another 842,000 international students are pursuing graduate and undergraduate degrees with F-1 visas.
More than 1,000 international students at 160 colleges have had their visas revoked or legal status terminated since late March.
Within Kentucky, one Murray State University foreign student’s visa has been revoked by DHS, while the University of Kentucky and Campbellsville University have both confirmed many visa revocations without providing a particular number.
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department would revoke visas for students whose activities “run counter” to national interests, including those protesting Israel’s conflict in Gaza and others facing criminal charges.
Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, has long been a critic of the Optional Practical Training program, which he attempted to eliminate under the first Trump administration.
The America First Policy Institute, a think group with close ties to Trump, has labeled the program unlawful and stated it should be stopped, claiming imported graduates are “a cheaper alternative to similarly skilled American graduates.”