UNC visa revocations raise concerns over free speech on campus

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- UNC student leaders are still working to learn more about the next steps after six international students had their visas revoked by the Trump administration.

The names of those international students are still being protected for privacy reasons, but student leaders say they're learning more about how the university learned about the visa situation, and now they're focused on what happens next.

Student Body President Adolfo Alvarez said that after meeting with university leaders, the university wasn't notified right away

"The university had to manually go into the portal where they have all international students, and they had to notice that the visas had been revoked," Alvarez said.

He said he wants to see UNC leadership be clear on how they'll support the impacted students.

In a statement, UNC's Chancellor Lee Roberts said, "We don't have a higher value as a University than keeping our students safe, and that's all of our students, including our international students."

Now, student leaders are wondering what's left for those figuring out potential loss of housing to travel costs and if they'll be able to come back to UNC.

RELATED: 6 UNC international students face deportation after visas revoked

"When are students no longer going to be considered active UNC students? Are they going to be able to return? Is there an avenue to return if they ever get their visas back?" Alvarez said.

It's also creating a climate of fear for thousands of students on visas. There are over 3,000 at Duke, almost 5,000 at NC State, and almost 3,000 at UNC-Chapel Hill.

And in an age of activism and protests, it's also raising questions about colleges being longstanding bastions of free speech.

Immigration attorney Trey DeBrine said for international students, despite being protected by the 1st Amendment on paper, in the current climate, you can't count on constitutional protections.

"It's best practice to think that it does not protect you at this time," he said.

He's been advising international students to try and lay low as much as possible on social media and at protests

"For those who want to make sure that they're safe to remain in this country, it's best to just keep quiet on those issues that you would otherwise hold important and would want to speak out on," DeBrine said.

The protections for free speech were something echoed on both sides of the aisle.

"The (Trump) administration just needs to be careful to uphold freedom of speech and those values while simultaneously balancing national security at the same time," said Preston Hill, with the UNC College Republicans.

But at UNC, student leaders worried this may not be the end.

"It's not just about six students, it's the fact that this is the beginning of the attack on international students on our campus, and we need to be prepared," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said there may be more training sessions for people to know what their legal rights are, and also what happens if ICE comes on campus.