Visa revoked of math professor, University of Houston confirms
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Really unfortunate. From reading the UH subreddit, the students really enjoy this professor’s courses.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/04/15/518784/uh-assistant-professor-says-his-visa-has-been-unexpectedly-terminated/?amp=1
A University of Houston assistant professor says he is preparing to return to South Korea after telling students over the weekend he could no longer teach their class because of the “unexpected termination of my visa.”
In a message he sent to students that was shared online, Hyeongseon Jeon said he would teach one last class on Tuesday before another professor fills in for him for the remainder of the semester. He also said in the message he had to return to Korea “immediately to resolve my immigration status.”
Jeon declined an interview request but confirmed to Houston Public Media in a Monday email that he was consulting legal counsel and preparing to leave for Korea.
A university spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that a faculty member had his visa terminated “based on his recent status as a doctoral student at another institution,” adding that the school was not aware of any other faculty members being similarly impacted. The spokesperson also confirmed that another instructor had been assigned to the upper-level math class that’s been affected.
Last week, UH said a “small number” of its international students had their visas revoked by the U.S. government. At least 115 studentsand recent graduates at colleges and universities across Texas — along with more than 600 international students across the country — also have had their visas revoked in recent weeks.
Some students have been targeted because of their participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at college campuses amidst the ongoing [war in Gaza]
A Houston-based attorney said last week he had been contacted by three international students, including one who attends UH, who had their visas revoked following an arrest.
Jeon did not provide a reason why his visa was terminated but acknowledged in his message to students that “many international scholars” had been similarly impacted.
“I would like to send my warmest wishes to other students who are facing similar challenges,” Jeon wrote in an email to Houston Public Media.
The U.S. Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. A department spokesperson previously declined to discuss specific visa revocations with the Texas Newsroom, saying, “The department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe — and we’ll continue to do so.”
Disclosure: Houston Public Media is licensed to the University of Houston System. The university does not play a role in Houston Public Media’s editorial decisions. Read our statement of ethics and standards here.
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It’s the world we live in now, JC. It’s best to go limp.
Sad, it is where we are.
A visa is temporary.
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Seems like prof swept up in beginning stages of a larger effort to chill free speech?
Looks like lots of groundwork being done and systems / legality being stress tested across the board. We need to be on guard for attempts to flip the switch and have citizens being routed through these channels, with potential justification of anti-US behavior. Maybe violent criminals first, then eventually maybe protesters blocking traffic, then maybe peaceful protesters?
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If the government keeps this up, STEM education is in for a rough time. Much of the damage is probably already irreversible at this point; I wouldn’t be choosing to work at Princeton over Paris-Saclay right now, or UH over UManitoba.
I’d chalk it up to anti-intellectualism more broadly. The administration views universities as ground zero of the “woke mind virus,” and this is retribution for that. There’s an overwhelming gulf in voting patterns between those with and without degrees, and so those in the former category are being punished for that, regardless of their actual speech.
How is that relevant?
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Bears repeating and should be sobering, eye-opening and cause for pause. Alas, too many just love to hate and dwell in mindless paranoia.
It’s 100% relevant when he’s here as a guest via visa and all the rules associated with the visa.
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Wondering how this one secures our border and keeps our country safe.
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Didn’t someone post that the biggest group of “illegals” in the US are visa overstayers? Now that we’re doing something about it, people are complaining?
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Is he an overstayer, or is this an unexpected termination of visa?
Are current students getting sent home overstayers?
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UH hired an “illegal”?
Seems like the guy said it had something to do with his Phd from another school. Maybe it didn’t turn out to be complete, so his visa was revoked. You don’t know the whole story so everything is conjecture, but the fake outrage spouted by posters is telling. And predictably unsurprising.
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Are current students getting sent home overstayers?
Who knows? But looks like they are going after illegal border crossers and overstayers. Good.
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Maybe that’s a comment for a different topic? Not sure applies here
One size fits all
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