Does John McGuire know a UVa student had their visa revoked?
And if he does know, does he care?
The Trump administration’s purge of college students from abroad has come to UVa.
Last Friday, school officials announced that a student’s visa had been canceled. 29 News had the story on Friday, and the Daily Progress picked it up this morning.
Yesterday, in response to an inquiry from me, a UVa spokesperson emailed:
We are seeing reports of an increased number of international student visas being revoked across the country. We are monitoring these developments closely and communicating with one currently enrolled student who has been affected by these visa status changes to offer support. We do not know the specific reason for the status change and cannot offer any further details related to the student. (Emphasis mine.)
UVa seems to be doing all the right things here. The status of your visa isn’t public information, and for privacy reasons, the school is justified in not sharing any other specifics right now. But it should be unnerving to anyone of any political persuasion to know that the government can simply take away your permission to be in the country without explanation, accountability, or the possibility of appeal.
Especially when your elected representative shows no interest in your case. I asked John McGuire’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth-Burton Jones, whether the congressman is aware that one of his constituents someone in his district has had their visa revoked without explanation—and if he is, whether anyone from his office has been in touch with UVa or the student. [Note: A reader points out in the comments that I used the term “constituent” imprecisely. I’ve updated the language.] Jones hasn’t responded, but if she does, I’ll update this post.
Nationwide, the government has yanked the visas of at least 300 students because Marco Rubio thinks they represent a serious risk to U.S. foreign policy. Let’s grant the Secretary of State his premise—maybe they do pose a risk to our interests abroad. Then it would be fair to ask whether Americans can sleep soundly knowing that their foreign policy is so fragile that it can be threatened by a few dyspeptic college kids. If that’s really the case, then maybe the problem is not the protests but the policy.
If you want to contact McGuire about student purges
Phone: (202) 225-4711
I appreciate this column greatly. But: a person in the US on a visa is not a citizen and therefore is not a constituent.
I point this out because I want to be accurate when I call his office. Tell him he's a (whatever) for not caring, but the goal of all these moves is to create fear.