On Monday, April 28, President Ronald J. Daniels announced in an email that 36 of the 37 previously terminated graduate student visas had been reactivated by the federal government. The following day, April 29, University administrators hosted a second virtual “Community Updates” briefing to elaborate on the reinstatements and discuss broader guidelines and resources for international students.
The session was moderated by Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Stephen Gange and included remarks from Interim Vice President and General Counsel Tiffany Wright, Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD) Branville G. Bard and Associate Vice Provost for International Student and Scholar Services James Brailer.
Wright began the briefing by outlining the legal background of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record terminations. She explained that the federal government had been targeting international student visas to enforce two executive orders, one targeting noncitizens accused of promoting ideologies hostile to the U.S. and the other aimed at combating antisemitism and Hamas sympathizers.
As a result, student visa records were terminated, forcing some students to self-deport. Wright explained that this led to multiple lawsuits, and, after sustained litigation, numerous SEVIS records have now been reinstated nationwide due to the administration struggling to rationalize the terminations.
"The termination of a SEVIS record [initially] included not just the revocation or termination of a visa, but also that the students were immediately had no lawful basis to remain in the United States,“ she said. “Many students sued, and the administration, after struggling in court to explain the basis for the unprecedented actions they had taken, began to say in court that the termination of the SEVIS record does not necessarily mean that students are without status and therefore do still have some lawful basis to remain in the country."
Wright then shifted to campus protocol amidst evolving administrative policy. Addressing the ongoing conversation about making the University a “sanctuary campus,” Wright clarified that, while the University can restrict access to private campus spaces, it cannot prevent federal officials from entering if they have a warrant.
“In situations [where another government agency obtains a warrant permitting them to enter our campus], there is nothing we can do to stop that from happening. We would comply with what the law requires,” Wright stated.
Wright emphasized that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers cannot enter restricted-access private campus areas (typically areas requiring a J-Card for access) without a court order. However, Wright noted that there can be confusion between public and private spaces due to the open campus nature. As such, Wright advises that students immediately notify Public Safety and the Office of the General Counsel if they witness an ICE officer on campus.
“There are lots of gray area [with public and private spaces in regard to ICE involvement], so our advice is to call Public Safety and General Counsel, as they are the experts who can determine case by case advice about what you’re facing at that moment,” she said.
Moreover, Wright strongly urged students to not interfere with ICE activity as per the federal harboring statute.
“If you physically interfere or if you attempt to shield someone or tip someone off that ICE is in the area, it is a felony under federal law. So we put out guidance that said, in the event that you encounter ICE on campus, remain calm, contact Public Safety but don't interfere because we are worried about you becoming subject to federal prosecution,” Wright advised.
Gange then introduced Brailer, who highlighted the abnormality of these visa revocations in comparison to previous instances in his career.
“I worked in the field of international education for three decades, and there are occasionally legitimate reasons for F1 and J1 visas to be revoked,“ Brailer explained. “However, the revocation of visas without any warning or full clear explanation is highly unusual and unprecedented.”
Brailer then discussed support options for affected students. He confirmed that 36 of the 37 impacted students have been contacted and informed that they may resume campus activities. However, students who have left the country may need to start a new visa process to return to the US. The Office of International Services has been offering individualized academic and legal support for each student, including those returning from abroad.
"All 36 of the 37 have been informed that they may return to campus and resume all activities, including those that have already left the country, but there is more work to be done to enable them to return,” Brailer stated.
Gange added, “we have been working closely with academic advising and student services groups to find out how to best support each of the students individually since the variety of students are in different stages and programs.”
Brailer also highlighted that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now more strictly enforcing documentation requirements, such as I-94 records. All noncitizens over the age of 18 should keep these records readily accessible. He also directed incoming international freshmen to dedicated advisors, webinars and a broader emergency telephone line open for calls during after hours and weekends to answer travel-related issues.
“While we can never guarantee that you’ll get a visa or enter the country, if you are traveling to the U.S. and happen to go through secondary inspection, we make this number available so that our students and scholars can direct the immigration officer to a school representative that can answer questions pertaining to their immigration record,” he said.
Bard then discussed JHPD’s involvement with ongoing immigration enforcement developments. Bard reiterated that the JHPD does not assist with immigration enforcement, so officers will not ask about immigration status and are not obligated to share such information with federal authorities unless legally required.
Bard also echoed past guidelines stated by Wright, providing the public safety number (667-208-1200) for all campuses in the case of ICE officials on campus. Further, Bard explained that the University’s immigration enforcement guidance aligns with national standards.
“I want to emphasize that the guidance we’re providing is consistent with that of other universities and national organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration,” Bard said. “The grand aim here is to keep members of our community safe.”
Daniels’ email also touched on broader funding implications. He confirmed that, while some United States Agency for International Development research grants have been restored, over 100 federal research grants have been terminated by other agencies, with many more delayed in review or renewal. Moving forward, Daniels states that the University will work with affected researchers and adapt programs for further potential cuts.
“We are working closely with the divisions to plan for various contingencies in this highly fluid policy environment. We are in touch with those faculty and staff who are affected directly by immediate terminations, and we will continue to update the community as we move forward,” Daniels wrote. “Our planning is focused on how we balance support for our core academic functions with potential reductions in funding that are likely to have a longer and deeper impact on our budgets, personnel and programs.”
Daniels also updated the community on the University’s national advocacy efforts, including the joint litigation with the Association of American Universities (AAU) against National Institutes of Health (NIH) research cuts. So far, the case prevented the loss of $4 billion in NIH research funding, $200 million of which directly supports the University. Daniels stated that the University is continuing to support AAU and other organizations’ advocacy for research support.
The University also announced investments to support affected researchers, such as Pivot and Bridge Grant programs, short-term funding for research teams facing grant termination; Editorial Assistance Services Initiative, editorial support for grant proposals and journal articles at no charge; PhD Thesis and Postdoc Research Completion Program, one year of support to affected doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows, and the Summer Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards, which now supports 47 more research projects.
