A small number of UMKC’s international students have been affected by the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke visas, but UMKC officials refuse to give a specific number.
More than 1,800 students across the country have had their F1 visas revoked, which means they lost their ability to stay in the country. While a large number of Missouri universities disclosed the number of impacted students to KCTV5, UMKC would not disclose the amount. Last week, a federal judge temporarily halted the deportation of five students in Missouri.
Stacy Downs, UMKC’s director of strategic communications, urged students who have had their visas revoked to reach out for help if they need it. Downs only revealed that a “small number” of students have been affected.
“If students reach out, UMKC is able to offer academic support to any affected students, while it is up to students to determine whether they will seek legal advice from an attorney of their choosing,” said Downs.
According to The Guardian, some students said that the revocation felt “absurd and unreal.” The reasons for the revocations range from minor speeding tickets, DUIs, and social media posts supporting a free Palestine, NBC reported.
In a statement to Roo News, the UMKC Students for Justice in Palestine said the deportations and other threats means “our fundamental liberties of speech and protest are now being systematically repressed by an increasingly authoritarian government.”
“[UMKC’s] refusal to disclose the number of students that have had their visas revoked serves only to shield the very institutions carrying out such fascism,” said SJP. “Without transparency, the impact of these harmful policies remain obscured, prohibiting students and faculty from fully grasping the real damage that is being done to our campus community.”
This week, many international student visas have been reinstated, but the federal administration aims to continue keeping an eye on students who they deem are a threat to the U.S.
“While we understand the real fears of students and faculty that hold visas, those of us who are U.S. citizens have the ability – and the responsibility – to speak out,” said SJP. “We must speak out in support of our peers who are being targeted for exercising their free speech, while continuing to demand a liberated Palestine.”
In a meeting with Roo News, SGA President Justice Horn called for transparency from the university.
“What I was told in our last executive board meeting was four students–but I don’t believe that,” said Horn. “We should be fighting for them.”
Horn urged UMKC students who have been affected to seek legal counsel and challenge the visa termination in court.
“It’s ridiculous, people should be able to finish their academic career,” said Horn.
For more information, read the university’s guidance sent to international students.
![Alex Unseth [left] and Yasmen Hassen [right] speaking at the dinner.](https://kcroonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SGA-1-1200x800.jpg)
