Megan Trotter | news editor

It was three weeks out from the end of the semester when 24-year-old Jayson Ma, a Carnegie Mellon University student, received a call alerting him that his student visa had been revoked.

CMU Provost James H. Garrett Jr. sent out a letter on Monday to faculty and staff announcing that late last week the student visas of “two current CMU students and five recent graduates had been revoked” and their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System had been terminated.

On Tuesday, Ma, who had been studying computer engineering with a signals and systems concentration, received a call from his designated student officer (DSO) alerting him that he was one of the students. His DSO however, did not have any information on why Ma’s visa was being revoked.

“I was really just worried about my school, because I’m so close from … finishing up. I only have a semester left,” Ma said at a news conference on Wednesday. “It was kind of hard to process.”

Ma has yet to receive a formal termination, but he is not the only student in Western Pennsylvania to receive this news this week.

On Wednesday, University of Pittsburgh Provost Joseph J. McCarthy sent a similar letter stating that one Pitt graduate student and two recent Pitt graduates also had their student visas revoked. Penn State University’s letter, sent last Thursday, stated that some international students have had their lawful status in the U.S. terminated. Ohio State University issued a letter on Tuesday stating that at least seven international students had their visas terminated, and the university was not formally notified of these actions by the government nor had they received any information about why the students’ visas were revoked.

“At this time, Duquesne University is not aware of any students or alumni who have been affected by this issue,” said Gabe Welsch, vice president of marketing and communication in an email to The Duke.

The Trump administration has been revoking international student visas across the country, some based on minor criminal interactions as well as those involved in pro-Palestinian activism or speech, according to the Associated Press.

Ma, who is originally from Shenyang, China, came to the U.S. in 2016 to pursue an education. He attended high school in Virginia for two years before moving to Texas for until he graduated. Ma was accepted into CMU in 2020 and has lived in the city since.

Joseph Murphy, an immigration attorney representing Ma, said that the only thing on Ma’s record is a DUI from 2023. Criminal attorney Walter Nalducci, who worked on Ma’s DUI case, said that he completed an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program in Allegheny County, and the incident was expunged.

“I’ve been told by my parents that ‘you’re going to the U.S. to study. You should follow rules to a T and not make any troubles,’” Ma said. “That’s why I’ve tried to not … express my personal opinion on social media or participate in events that could jeopardize my student status.”

According to the letter, CMU is offering a slew of resources for students, either international or U.S. citizens, who have questions or concerns regarding visa termination, including free 15-minute in-person consultations with immigration lawyers, an in-person open forum on immigration policies and compiled a series of FAQs regarding U.S. Immigration Enforcement.

A CMU spokeswoman declined to provide further comment on the international student’s visa termination.

Pitt’s letter addressed concerns regarding whether immigration agencies are on campus.

“At this time, we are not aware of any immigration agencies or authorities visiting our campus for enforcement purposes,” the letter said.

As of Wednesday evening, Duquesne had not yet made a public statement to students or faculty addressing immigration concerns, international student visas or actions being taken in regard to these issues.

Since he has yet to receive a formal service termination, Ma has been continuing to attend classes.

“They’re [CMU] working with me to help me to the best extent that they can to finish my school this semester and maybe potentially get a degree remotely,” Ma said.

Ma’s mother is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer including chemotherapy. Ma said he wants to travel to Shenyang to see her, however, he is concerned about leaving the U.S. And his mother has insisted he needs to stay to finish his education.

Typically there are four ways people without visas can stay within the country: adjustment of status through family members, asylum for those fearing persecution in their home country, country-specific programs like TPS for certain nationalities, and interactions with law enforcement for victims of crimes or human trafficking, Murphy said. However, the U.S. is not currently offering any programs for China, and Ma has not been a victim of any crimes.

In order to stay within the U.S., Ma could file for asylum or get married, Murphy said.

“I know the American people voted for this,” Murphy said to The Duke. “But they could’ve let him graduate.”

Ma is waiting to see if he will receive a formal termination.

“I just want to leverage my degree and use my expertise and help the world, whether it’s here or back home. I don’t really care, but that’s the whole point of being an engineer, is to create solutions to problems that exist in the world,” Ma said.

Kaitlyn Hughes contributed to this report.

Megan Trotter can be reached at trotterm@duq.edu.