We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with the Johns Hopkins University community.
Our international community is very important to Hopkins, and we are committed to supporting them as we support all our students, faculty and staff. We share the serious concerns arising from recent changes in federal immigration policies and enforcement activities and understand the anxiety these changes instill in our community members and their families, here and abroad.
These concerns came to a head this week, when we confirmed that approximately a dozen Johns Hopkins graduate students (and recent graduates of Hopkins graduate programs) have had their F-1 visa records terminated by the government through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
We are working directly with affected students, providing a range of support services through the Office of International Services, academic advising, and health and wellbeing. We have received no information about the specific basis for the revocations but we have no indication that they are associated with free expression activities on campus. While visa revocations require students to depart the United States, we are not aware of any arrests or detentions of Hopkins students as a result of these visa actions. Hopkins is committed to assisting them to the greatest extent permissible under the law.
We have also shared guidance with members of our community on how to handle immigration enforcement actions. Because there has been some confusion on this point, we want to emphasize that our guidance is not unique. It is similar to guidance from other U.S. universities and from national organizations that advocate for immigrants’ rights and free expression, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. In keeping with the principles and guidance of those organizations:
- We respect the privacy of all students and do not provide information about the immigration status of members of our community unless required by law.
- Federal law enforcement officers are not authorized to access non-public areas of our campuses without meeting certain legal requirements, such as with a valid warrant or court order.
- If members of our community encounter federal law enforcement officers on Hopkins property, we advise them to remain calm, immediately contact the appropriate legal or public safety office at Hopkins, and not to intervene themselves, because obstructing or interfering with certain government activity can be a crime.
- We specifically ask for people to contact public safety and the Office of General Counsel because members of those teams are best positioned to provide help in the event of such an encounter.
The ACLU and Presidents’ Alliance also advise people and students not to interfere with federal law enforcement actions, which could constitute a felony. Like them, we are relaying advice to help members of our community avoid personal legal jeopardy with federal criminal prosecution.
We continue to update our guidance and information online about recent federal immigration actions and you can find further information at OIS and in our FAQs.
International students are members of the Hopkins family. Our focus is on supporting them as with all members of our community.
Stephen Gange is the Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. James Brailer is the Associate Vice Provost for International Student and Scholar Services
