April 15 (UPI) — The federal government is revoking the visas of hundreds of international college students without notifying universities.

Several universities across the country have confirmed to UPI that international students have had their visas revoked without notice or had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records terminated. The universities said they have played no role in the revocations and were not informed why their students’ visas were being revoked.

These actions are not believed to be related to students participating in protests or exercising free speech.

International faculty members have also been affected.

“Right now there are at least reports of 800 visas being revoked or students’ records being terminated,” Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance, told UPI. “The throughline through all these visa revocations and student record terminations that have been done unilaterally under SEVIS is the lack of due process.”

In the case of SEVIS records being terminated, Feldblum said this lays the groundwork for potential removals or deportations.

The Presidents’ Alliance filed an amicus brief along with 86 colleges and associations in the lawsuit against the Trump administration to block it from continuing its large-scale arrests, detentions and deportations of international students.

The filing argues the Trump administration is creating a “climate of fear” on campuses, violating due process rights, will push international talent away from the United States and also harm students who are U.S. citizens.

Initially visa revocations were focused on students who engaged in some kind of political speech, which is constitutionally protected, according to Feldblum. It has since expanded to students who do not appear to have engaged in such speech or participated in protests.

“What we see is a vast majority of visa revocations and student record terminations really seem to be coming about because of retroactive sweeping of all kinds of criminal databases that the government has access to,” Feldblum said. “Whether it’s a minor infraction or arrest that didn’t amount to anything or a case that was dismissed — all kinds of ways students’ names are swept up in this.”

Harvard, New York University and Rutgers filed the lawsuit, along with the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association.

Nineteen attorneys general have also filed an amicus brief in support of the challenge to the Trump administration.

The lack of communication between the federal government and the universities has thrust schools’ international student services departments into closely monitoring SEVIS records for changes so they may notify their students.

The University of Connecticut said in a statement that it is checking its students’ SEVIS records daily for changes initiated externally by government officials. It has also established a webpage with legal resources and information about community advocacy organizations.

As of Monday, UConn had found that 12 current students and one post-graduate in a professional program had their visas terminated. The university said neither it or the students were informed about the reasons for those terminations.

“While the number of impacted students here is small, consequences for those impacted are significant,” the University of Connecticut said in a blog post.

“At the first sign of a change, the International Student and Scholar Services will email the student or visiting scholar to inform them of the update and ask them to visit the Center for International Student and Scholar Services to meet with a staff member who can connect the student to legal resources and university support services.”

The University of Washington said it is also monitoring the records of international students.

“We are also not aware of any immigration officials coming to UW campuses related to this situation,” the University of Washington said in a statement.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison reported that, as of Friday, 27 people have had their SEVIS records terminated. This includes 15 students, seven of which are graduate students, and 12 recent alumni who have remained at the university under employment authorization. Employment authorizations include Optional Practical Training and STEM OPT Extension.

“UW-Madison is not aware of federal law enforcement activity on campus, and the university does not believe the terminations at UW-Madison are specific to participation in free speech events or political activity,” UW-Madison said in a statement. “However, the precise rationale for these terminations is unclear.”

“A status termination generally means that an affected individual should depart the United States immediately,” the university added.

The University of Michigan reported that 22 people affiliated with the school have had their SEVIS records terminated. This includes 12 enrolled students and 10 graduates.

“The federal government has not shared details on the specific reasons for these visa revocations or SEVIS record terminations,” the university shared in a campus-wide message.

The University of Michigan has 7,704 international students enrolled and 2,497 recent international graduates who have remained in the United States for authorized professional training.

At the University of Utah, 18 students and some graduates have had their visas revoked and SEVIS records terminated. About half of these students are from China while the others are “from several countries, including India and the Middle East.”

The reason, according to the university, is for failure to maintain nonimmigrant status or a criminal record check.

“None of the University of Utah students have been flagged for participating in protests,” the university said in a statement.

The University of Utah has more than 4,000 students on visas.

According to Feldblum, many international students, staff and faculty on campuses are considering leaving their universities and the United States over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“What we’re hearing anecdotally is the level of fear and anxiety that has been generated, not only by what is happening here, but by other kinds of immigration enforcement happening, this is impacting so many noncitizens and even naturalized citizens who are concerned about what’s happening,” she said.

The University of Minnesota is one of the schools that has had a student detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dogukan Gunaydin, a Turkish graduate student, was arrested at an off-campus residence on March 27.

The university said in a statement that it had no prior knowledge of this arrest and did not share any information with federal authorities before it happened. It has set up a page on its website for updates about immigration enforcement activities on campus and support for students and staff.

“While fully respecting individual requests for privacy and our obligations to privacy under state and federal law, the university is actively engaging its systems and resources to provide personalized support related to visa processing, international travel, or other related topics,” the University of Minnesota told UPI in a statement. “International students and scholars have been and will always be an essential part of the University of Minnesota community. The University has personnel and resources in place to support faculty, staff, and students on all campuses who may be affected by changes to federal immigration guidance.”

About one-third of all college students in the United States are first or second-generation immigrants. There are more than 1 million international students. There are also university staff or faculty members who are in the United States on H-1B or O-1 visas, or who are lawful residents. This includes those who are on humanitarian parole, asylum seekers and DACA recipients.

A report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, referenced in the amicus brief, said there is “ample evidence” that international student enrollments and international teaching assistants “enable universities to offer classes to American students that would not otherwise be available.”

Another study, titled “Does The Presence of International Students Improve Domestic Graduations in the U.S.?” stated that interactions with international students positively correlate with American students being more engaged and having more academic success.

“Foreign students increase the performance of host universities with respect to the graduation numbers of all native students,” the study said.