UMass Amherst says 5 international students have had visas revoked

The University of Massachusetts Amherst confirmed Saturday that five international students at the school have had their visas revoked by federal authorities.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst confirmed Saturday that five international students at the school have had their visas revoked by federal authorities.

Javier Reyes, chancellor of the university, called the incidents “troubling news” in a letter that was published online Friday evening.

“In each of the five cases, the students’ legal status to remain in the United States has been revoked,” Reyes wrote. “The university was not notified by federal authorities of these status revocations and only became aware as a result of proactive checks in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database.”

He added that the school is working with the Massachusetts attorney general, and he advised international students on school-sponsored visas to reach out to UMass’ Office of Global Affairs if they “receive any communications (phone calls or emails) purporting to be from the federal government.”

A spokesperson for the university said officials there have “no reason to believe that these revocations are connected to campus activism.”