All three UNL students’ visas have been restored after Trump admin walks back cancellations

LINCOLN — All three University of Nebraska-Lincoln students whose visas were revoked over the past two weeks have had them restored after the Trump administration backed off its initial efforts to cancel some visas held by international students.

UNL officials confirmed that the third student’s visa was restored Monday, following the restoration of the other two last week. 

Earlier this month, UNL announced that three international students had their visas revoked by the U.S. State Department. UNL has 1,654 international students, according to a university census.

The Justice Department announced the national reversal in federal court last week. The change came after the Trump administration began revoking visas and launching deportation proceedings against a number of students who had participated in demonstrations against Israel during campus protests last year over the war in Gaza, or who had faced criminal charges while a visiting student, including driving under the influence. 

It is unclear why the UNL students’ visas were revoked. The university hasn’t said.

A Justice Department lawyer, Joseph F. Carilli, said immigration officials have begun developing a new system for reviewing and terminating visas for international students. Until the process is complete, Carilli said, agencies would not make additional changes or pursue additional revocations, according to The New York Times.