Naomi Girson & Ember Duke | staff writer and layout editor

As student visa holders at other Pittsburgh universities face revocation, legal proceedings and threat of deportation, Duquesne has not yet had any such public instance. But the question of how to act in such a situation continues to circulate on campus.

In light of the growing federal crackdown on visa revocations, Duquesne communications director Gabriel Welsch sent a university-wide email advising students to be mindful of visa risks in their Easter travel plans.

“If travel is not essential, you may wish to consider staying in Pittsburgh,” the email said.

Welsch said to The Duke that the university is working with “internal and external” immigration experts to create resources, such as an informational guide on the university website under the Center for Global Engagement tab — who he said are “communicating directly” with international students.

The university is not currently aware of any Duquesne students facing the issue of visa revocation, he said.

The week before Easter break, Project 26, a statewide off-campus organization that aims to mobilize college students, introduced a petition for the university to make a statement of support for its international students and stand with immigrants, given its Catholic mission.

Freshman Greta Haley, a student member of Project 26, said she understands why the university can’t make a political statement, but to her it’s not political.

“It was more of just a humanity issue,” she said.

The Project 26 petition — which called for an official public statement condemning the Trump administration’s “unlawful actions” and a statement on how it will safeguard students — will still be delivered to administration as a show of the number of students who support the lawful rights of immigrants and visa holders, The Duke reported at the time of the initial demonstration.

“The university does not comment on political matters nor on operational matters related to other universities,” Welsch said to The Duke. “Our priority is the needs of Duquesne faculty, staff and students. Because our non-profit status prohibits us from engaging in political activity, making broad statements on political matters would endanger our ability to deliver on our mission and serve our students.

The travel advisory email also said students can seek information on finding legal counsel from the International Student and Scholar Services team and advised that students “exercise caution” while making their travel plans.

It also recommended that students concerned about unlawful detainment turn to the resources at Center for Global Engagement and Counseling Services, though it did not specify in what capacity either office might help. The Department of Public Safety is also monitoring the situation, the email said.

The Center for Global Engagement could not be reached for comment, but according to their website, they offer support to all international students, regarding visa matters and can consult with students about problems or concerns they have, and help find a qualified attorney to help further, when deemed appropriate.

“As of now, there still have been no reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on our campus, and very few reports of activity within the greater Pittsburgh region,” it read.

As of April 18, five Carnegie Mellon University students have been informed by the university of their visas being revoked, according to the university website. All students had minor legal infractions — some of which are traffic violations and others which have been expunged from the records, according to The Tribune-Review.

Jayson Ma, from Shenyang China, came to Pittsburgh to study electrical computer engineering with a concentration in signals and systems, at Carnegie Mellon, but found out on April 7 from the university that his student visa is being revoked, The Duke reported. He still hasn’t received communication from the federal government on the status of his Student and Exchange Visitor Information System program.

Joseph Murphy, Ma’s immigration attorney, has been watching for similar cases to theirs.

“The one that we’re watching here in western Pennsylvania is a class action seeking to certify a class of all students in the United States who had visas revoked and received as terminated over charges that do not amount to a failure of the student status,” Murphy said.

Ma and Murphy are not currently active participants in the suit, but are watching to see how it develops. In the meantime, Murphy suggested that Ma continue to keep his head down and finish the semester.

“We have a lawsuit prepared and sitting in a file. Should the class action not go the way we’d like, then all the members of the class would then have the ability to file individualized litigation,” Murphy said.

Despite knowing the risk of ICE detention and the option from professors to participate virtually, Ma is still attending most of his classes in-person.

“As long as I don’t see people on campus looking for me [I’ll stay]” Ma said.

Carnegie Mellon partnered with Klasko Immigration Law Partners to gameplan the situation and held two open forums earlier this week to hear student concerns, according to the university’s website. However, Ma does not expect much relief in his case.

“I’m not feeling hopeful in terms of the school or the institution being able to do anything for us.”

Duquesne has seemingly been isolated from the issue. In light of the inauguration, Duquesne University President Ken Gormley sent a university-wide email in February stating that he had charged several working groups to monitor the federal government’s actions on several issues, including immigration.

“Our legal affairs team, Department of Public Safety and Office of Global Engagement have been carefully examining the impact of executive orders relating to immigration. On January 20, the acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security rescinded guidance that effectively barred ICE actions in schools and churches,” the email read. “Our first priority is the safety of our students and the ability for them to earn their education without undue interruption. We must do so, of course, in a fashion that complies with the law.”

Haley said the travel advisory email is the only response she expects to get from the university, but with action at nearby universities, students have a right to request a statement from Duquesne.

“It’s very close to home, and I think this is a big time where a lot of students are very frightened of what’s going to happen to their education,” Haley said. “So even though it could have been sooner, I’m glad that they did make a statement, in general, and that they’re taking a stand on this.”

At a meeting on Jan. 29, some concerned students turned to the Student Government Association for answers, The Duke reported. President Nick Miller said the association hasn’t heard direct concerns since, but it’s an issue he expects to persist into next semester and he’s prepared to help guide students.

“I think that DUPO is a very good asset,” Miller said. “If anyone tries to come here and take anyone, they need a warrant.”

He said that university administration is in “constant communication” about the issue and that all issues brought to SGA are directed to advisor Adam Wasilko and other administrators.

“He [Wasilko] always makes it known that his door is open,” he said.

More than 1,000 student visas have been revoked at roughly 130 universities this year, according to CNN.

“I’m just a mere ant that’s caught in between the crossfire of a fight between elephants,” Ma said. “There are a lot of other people like me who have suffered on a personal level because of the policy change.”

Ember Duke can be reached at
dukee@duq.edu.

Naomi Girson can be reached at girsonn@duq.edu.