(Kevin Kan | Illustration Editor)

​​In the fall of 2024, Qimeng Duan, a third-year anthropology Ph.D. student, unknowingly reversed into a gate while at an autoshop. As an international student, Duan was unfamiliar with U.S. reporting requirements for minor car accidents, especially because she did not notice any damage. A few hours later, however, Duan said the police came to her apartment. 

Duan subsequently appeared in court twice for traffic violations, after which she believed all legal matters were resolved. A few months later, in February 2025, however, Duan unexpectedly received a third court summons.

“I didn’t know why they gave me [the summons] … I thought everything was done three months ago,” Duan recalled. “I thought about the possibility that … my visa will be cancelled.” 

Duan approached WashU for legal guidance. After hearing about her situation, Duan said the University told her they could not assist in traffic-related matters.

When Duan arrived in court one month later, the clerk informed her that the summons was sent erroneously, and her case was closed. Despite a resolute ending, Duan described the experience as extraordinarily difficult, knowing that minor infractions like traffic violations can complicate visa status. 

With increasingly anti–immigrant policies under the Trump administration, mistakes in navigating systems like traffic court can become consequential. In the absence of comprehensive education from WashU, Duan said she often needs to turn to Chinese social media platform RedNote or ChatGPT to understand American processes. 

Duan’s case shines a light on how sweeping changes in immigration policies have touched immigrants’ everyday lives, even on seemingly unrelated matters.

One anonymous Ph.D. student from Latin America, who will be referred to by the pseudonym Carlos for fear of retaliation, expressed frustration with government surveillance of social media.

“For the first time in the eight years that I’ve been here, I need to double-check or triple-check what I’m going to share,” Carlos said.

Once a vocal advocate for Palestine, Carlos now refrains from even liking posts about the issue. Per guidance from his immigration attorney, Carlos said that posting about Palestine is a “hard no,” and all other political content is a “gray area.”

“I’m taking a risk at any point,” Carlos said. 

Existing University support 

Julie Flory, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communications, wrote to Student Life that the University prioritizes supporting students personally affected by immigration policies. 

“Our priority is communicating directly with students who are personally affected by any policy changes or other actions. It’s most important that these students have the information they need, and that we’re communicating in a way that prioritizes their well-being,” she wrote. 

Flory deferred to the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) regarding how WashU determines which students are affected.  

Rachel Krein, director of strategic communications and operations in OISS, reiterated the office’s commitment “to supporting our international community to be fully compliant with evolving U.S. immigration policies.” She referenced updates published on the OISS website, education programs, and appointments with advisers. 

In a Q&A with Student Life, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin also talked about the importance he sees in WashU’s international student population. 

“We want to find talented students wherever they are and make sure they have opportunities to come here … Our international students bring an enormous amount to this university,” he said.

Desire for expanded education and resources

While students appreciate OISS’s efforts to support international communities, some say existing resources are not enough. 

“I don’t think we have any support,” said Duan in the aftermath of her court summons. 

“That’s not enough. It’s just very basic knowledge about policy,” she said about the current OISS offerings. 

Current OISS offerings focus on maintaining visa status, preparing for visa interviews, and travel guidance. Duan believes WashU should provide students with legal counsel and more detailed know your rights workshops, detailing students’ freedoms and protections during interactions with law enforcement officers.

Duan said that while several students in her department shared know your rights “red cards,” she has not received such information from WashU. Carlos said he wishes the University would disseminate resources like red cards more broadly. 

As one of the few Latin American people in his department, a Ph.D. student who will be referred to by the pseudonym Daniel, due to fear of retaliation, also feels unsupported. A recent Supreme Court decision allowing ICE to racially profile means immigrants and citizens could be subject to investigative stops. Though he is a citizen, Daniel is now fearful of ICE, and he continues to grapple with whether he should carry his birth certificate with him for his safety.

“I remember a time when I called my sisters, and I was like ‘Hey, if you don’t hear from me, please check’ … It got to the point where I did have to tell my sisters there’s a chance that I might disappear,” he said. 

While Daniel acknowledges that WashU’s hands are tied against federal policy regulations, he also said there are several support measures within their control. He emphasized the need for avenues to voice concerns directly to administrators and discuss opportunities to strengthen support for Latin American students locally. 

“I don’t know if they’ve ever actually come out and asked, ‘Hey, how is this affecting your community?” he said. 

Frustrations with University communications 

Nikita Gupta, a Ph.D. student in Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology, expressed frustration at the lack of transparency regarding Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record terminations. 

“I remember making a spreadsheet from 40 different news articles to keep track of how many [students] were deported or terminated … and the numbers just kept growing really fast,” Gupta said. 

Gupta said she grew increasingly anxious, especially because WashU did not release updates about SEVIS record terminations. Students cannot check their own records, so they rely on the University to inform them if their record is terminated. When SEVIS terminations ultimately hit WashU in April 2025, there was just “radio silence,” according to  Gupta. 

“I don’t know why it never came out, what the University was doing about it, what kind of resources they had access to … Nothing, just zero communication,” she said. 

Other universities have published routine updates on SEVIS terminations, detailed immigration guidance, and assured students that the administration was routinely checking SEVIS records.

Gupta described WashU’s reluctance to timely publicize the number of visas terminated as “entirely unnecessary” and “wilful abandonment.” 

In May, Martin informed the Faculty Senate Council that nine WashU student visas that were revoked had been reinstated, and he stated that immigration is a “high priority.” Later, in a September interview with Student Life, Chancellor Martin said that 11 students who faced visa terminations had been reinstated.

“We worked really carefully, and I really want to give the OISS huge props for working with our students … OISS was proactively looking and scanning databases so we would catch it and be able to notify these students and then connect them with resources,” Martin said in the prior Q&A. 

An anonymous Ph.D. student from Nigeria, who will be referred to by the pseudonym Ryan due to fear of retaliation, expressed frustration about WashU’s “rhetorical company speak” about immigration, which he believes doesn’t provide substantive support. 

“What does it mean to be in school and have to keep your eyes at the door?” Ryan said. “What does it mean to be in school right now and be possibly abducted off the streets? There’s no one talking to us about that. So we are just sort of sitting ducks.”

Ryan says that while immigration policies are more “Draconian” under the Trump administration, he does not believe it was significantly better before. 

“The atmosphere has never been friendly. Let’s be clear about that,” Ryan said. 

In 2023, Ryan’s father passed away in Nigeria, but he could not return home due to strict visa policies. 

“I could not go home because it was in summer, and if I had to go home, I needed to schedule a visa interview to get a visa to return,” Ryan said. “School was starting in September, so I decided to stay in the U.S.”

Ryan expressed skepticism about WashU’s ability to support immigrants in the future, citing the University’s response to the April 2027 pro-Palestine encampment. 

“That makes me not trust the University to be able to have my back in anything. And that’s just the reality of things,” said Ryan.

Scope of legal support 

In OISS’ director of strategic communications and operations Krein’s statement to Student Life, she encouraged students to contact OISS if they encounter difficulties, including changes to visa status, routine checks with ICE, or interactions with federal agencies. 

“OISS staff will work directly with the student to understand the situation, provide guidance within the scope of the University’s role to assure compliance, and recommend that the student seek advice from an immigration attorney as warranted,” Krein stated. 

Legally complex issues, such as civil detention or ICE checks, however, do not fall within the outlined role of maintaining compliance. According to Gupta, OISS staff previously informed students that they are not equipped to assist with such matters.

“We can help students understand underlying context, clarify documentation or status questions, and connect them with appropriate resources, internally and externally,” Krein wrote. 

Krein did not comment on whether WashU would financially support external legal counsel. 

Gupta and others expressed that the University should create a defense fund to support immigrants seeking legal counsel. Institutions, including New York University, Yale University, and Rutgers University, provide immigrant students with free legal counsel. 

Carlos believes that WashU could better support immigrant students with more visible communications and resources. 

“[OISS] has some resources they are trying to share … but it’s all under the table … Maybe that’s just playing in politics, but from a giving support point of view, I think showing a strong face against administration or showing all graduate students, ‘Hey, we actually care, and we’re proud and loud about it’ could go some way to even just give a little more sense of safety,” he said. 

Carlos is unsure whether remaining quiet provides political advantages, citing that both Harvard University and Columbia University are now under immense duress despite dramatically different initial responses to the Trump administration. 

“When the administration is a bully, there’s nothing you can do that the bully won’t take advantage of, so you might as well stay true to your values. For better or for worse, I think that is exactly what WashU is doing … It just happens that their values are not maybe what I would want them to be,” he said. 

Mental health 

Students also spoke about political turbulence harming their mental health. Carlos said it’s difficult to work productively if “the world is on fire,” emphasizing the need for academic leniency. Carlos believes it’s difficult for citizens to empathize with how pervasive the mental stress caused by immigration is. 

“When [my friends] talk about it, it feels like ‘This is such an interesting discussion.’ It is awful, obviously, but it’s still a discussion. Whereas for me, it feels a lot more personal,” he said.  

Tianmeng Lan, a second-year anthropology Ph.D. student from China, echoed that immigration policies amplify mental stress. She is thankful that she could see a Mandarin-speaking therapist at Habif who was familiar with her struggles. 

“Other therapists cannot easily understand our feelings. And we only have a small group of international therapists … I feel they’re overworked,” she said.

Duan also said there is not enough mental health support for international students saying they were uncertain about whether other racial or ethnic backgrounds are represented among the therapists. 

Conclusion 

WashU’s graduate population is over 40% international students, many of whom rely entirely on WashU’s guidance for visa compliance. 

“Your community is very clearly telling you what they need to hear from you, and you refuse to listen, and instead demand that they feel safe based on your expectation of what should make them feel safe,” Gupta said.