In response to a wave of student visa revocations and shifts in federal immigration policy, Boston College reaffirmed its commitment to supporting international students and scholars in a campus-wide email from University Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley and Vice Provost for Global Engagement Rev. James Keenan, S.J on Tuesday.
“Catholic institutions are called to support and accompany the stranger,” the email read. “These challenging times require an ongoing commitment to a culture of care, welcome, and hospitality. That commitment has served us well for generations and remains a fundamental and defining aspect of our Jesuit, Catholic community.”
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has terminated the immigration statuses of at least 600 students at over 90 colleges and universities, drawing widespread criticism from higher education administrators and immigration advocates.
One of the most high-profile incidents occurred at Tufts University, where U.S. immigration officials detained Turkish international student Rümeysa Ӧztürk after she co-authored an op-ed in The Tufts Daily. The piece called on Tufts’ president to engage with the student government on a resolution condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and pushing for divestment from companies tied to Israel.
Quigley and Keenan called the recent policy changes “troubling news” and emphasized the contributions international students and faculty make to the University.
“Through the generations, this University has been enriched by the contributions of our foreign-born students and employees who have come to Chestnut Hill to study and work,” Quigley and Keenan wrote. “Boston College in 2025 is a far stronger institution for the presence of thousands of these members of the BC family.”
The Office of Global Engagement and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) are continuing to monitor developments and review the immigration records of BC students through the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System database, according to the statement. The University said it will notify students directly if their status changes.
On April 8, OISS sent an Easter Break advisory to international students with travel reminders and warning that immigration officials may search the contents of phones and other devices upon re-entry into the U.S.
“Be aware that immigration officials have the authority to access the content of your cell phone or electronic devices upon re-entering the U.S. or during travel near a U.S. land border,” the advisory reads. “Review an ACLU FAQ on electronic device searches for more information.”
The advisory came a day before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which oversees border security and immigration—announced that it will begin screenings for “antisemitic activity” on social media that will immediately affect foreign students studying in the U.S.
“Under this guidance, USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity as a negative factor in any USCIS discretionary analysis when adjudicating immigration benefit requests,” the DHS news release stated.
In their statement, Quigley and Keenan pointed to BC’s origins as a sanctuary for Catholic immigrants who endured religious discrimination and social exclusion in 19th-century Boston.
“One hundred and sixty-two years ago this month, Boston College was founded by European Jesuits to educate the children of the largely immigrant Catholic population in Boston and neighboring communities,” Quigley and Keenan wrote.
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