All 27 UW-Madison Students & Alumni Have Their Visas Restored, After The Trump Administration Revoked Them

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – All UW-Madison students whose visas had been revoked by the Trump administration have now had their visas restored. 

University officials reported 27 students and alumni had their visas canceled, and were told they should self-deport immediately. The university was not being notified of the cancelations, and only found out when they would search databases several times a day. 

Last week, people across the country saw that their records started to come back online without explanation. 

UW-Madison leaders confirm that’s happened for all students and alumni who were impacted. That includes at least a handful of them who were told their visas were canceled when they were just weeks away from graduation. 

“I’m relieved and grateful that these records terminations have been reversed,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement. “This situation was deeply troubling, upended lives and created both fear and harm. I want to personally thank the many members of our community, along with local, state and federal officials, who worked to assist our students.”

Two students sued the administration in US District Court. Both times, the students won the right to stay. Students reported being afraid to leave their rooms and go to class, afraid they’d be arrested. 

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, about 4,700 students across the country have had their visas revoked.