09-07-2025
Trump administration reinstates visas taken from nine Southern University students
Nine Southern University students who had their visas revoked by the Trump administration earlier this year have since had them reinstated, according to the university.
Seven of the students are enrolled at Southern University's main campus in Baton Rouge and two are at Southern University at New Orleans.
The nine students had their visas revoked in early April without explanation from federal officials, Southern spokeswoman Janene Tate said at the time. She did not disclose the students' names, citing the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
The Southern students are among 16 international students enrolled at Louisiana universities known in April to have lost their visas in the Trump administration's sweeping termination of at least 1,800 students' legal status to study in the United States.
Of the seven other students, three were enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and two each attended the University of New Orleans, Tulane University according to representatives with the schools.
Two LSU students have since had their visas revoked, according to LSU spokesman Todd Woodward.
The university confirmed that two Iranian-born students were arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement last month.
One of the students, Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad, is currently being detained at the ICE facility center in Jena. The agency has not responded to requests for comment about why he is being detained.
— The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Trump administration reinstates visas to Southern University students
