Civil rights group calls for immediate reinstatement, due process for international students
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned reported extrajudicial visa revocations of about a dozen Maryland students, among at least 300 students nationally, by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The students are now facing orders to abandon their studies and leave the United States.
SEE: ‘Approximately a dozen’ Johns Hopkins students have visas revoked by federal government
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Affected students attending Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, as well as colleges and universities in California, Arizona and other states, are being notified their visas have been abruptly terminated without due process, warning or explanations.
Advocates have raised concerns that the Trump administration may specifically be targeting some international students over disfavored political speech and viewpoints.
“These actions are a chilling attack on students,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “We demand the Department of Homeland Security immediately reverse these unjust revocations. We also urge university administrators, elected officials, and advocacy groups to stand with impacted students. Each of them deserves due process including the right to be informed of the reasons for the revocation, the opportunity to contest it, and a fair hearing.”
Recently, CAIR Maryland released a letter signed by nearly 60 groups urging officials to prohibit colleges and universities in the state from sharing students’ data with federal agencies without a warrant signed by a judge.
SEE: Johns Hopkins students call on university to protect them from ICE – WMAR
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CAIR is investigating the scope of the visa cancellations to offer advocacy and legal support. Students impacted by visa revocations can contact CAIR’s legal team by filling out an intake form at cair.com/report and then emailing mdoutreach@cair.com following the form submission.
Last month, CAIR released its 2025 Civil Rights Report, “Unconstitutional Crackdowns,” which reveals that Islamophobia continues to be at an all-time high across the country. The report found that viewpoint discrimination against those speaking out against genocide and apartheid was a key factor in many cases.
In addition to legal and advocacy support, CAIR encourages students, staff, and faculty to report discriminatory campus environments through CAIR’s “Hostile Campuses” initiative, which tracks institutions where individuals have been targeted for opposing occupation, apartheid, or genocide. Campuses can be submitted for review at: https://islamophobia.org/hostile-campuses/
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062;
CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com, 202-850-9293