Washington: More than 1,000 international students have revoked their visas or legal status in recent weeks and filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing that the administration has rejected their due process when it was suddenly allowed to enter the United States.
The federal government’s action to terminate students’ legal status puts hundreds of scholars at risk of detention and deportation. Their schools range from private universities such as Harvard and Stanford to large public institutions such as Maryland and Ohio State to some small liberal arts colleges.
According to the Associated Press statement to the university, there are at least 1,024 universities, universities and university systems with visa or legal status terminated in 160 universities, universities and university systems.
In a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, students argued that the government lacked reasons to cancel visas or terminate their legal status.
Why does the government cancel visas for international students?
Visa cancellations can be made for a variety of reasons, but the university says some students have been picked out for violations, including traffic violations, including some past violations. In some cases, students say it is not clear why they are targeted.
“The timing and unity of these terminations are hardly questionable, and the DHS adopts a nationwide policy, both in writing, whether written, or in writing,” wrote the ACLU of Michigan attorneys in the lawsuit.
In New Hampshire, a federal judge issued a restraining order last week at the order of Little Liu, a Dartmouth College computer science student from China, whose identity was terminated by the government. Attorneys have raised similar challenges in federal courts in Georgia and California.
Homeland Security officials did not respond to news seeking comments.
In some high-profile cases, including the detention of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, President Donald Trump’s administration believes that non-citizens should be allowed to participate in pro-Palestinian radicalism. But in the vast majority of visa revocations, the university said there was no indication that affected students played a role in the protest.
“The international students you’re seeing are actually a larger review of all different categories of immigration,” said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Institute for Immigration Policy.
How does a student visa work?
Students in other countries must meet a range of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually F-1. After admission in the United States, students conduct application and interview procedures at the U.S. embassy or abroad.
Students with F-1 visa must show that they maintain a good reputation for their academic programs during their study in the United States and their ability to work off-campus during the academic program is limited.
The entry visa is managed by the State Council. Once they enter the U.S., the legal status of international students is supervised by the Department of Homeland Security Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
In recent weeks, many university leaders have learned that legal residence status for some of their international students has been terminated when university staff checked a database managed by the Department of Homeland Security. University officials said in the past, legal status was usually updated after universities told the government no longer to study in schools.
After losing the right to legal residence, students are told historically that they have left the country and students whose visas have been revoked are allowed to maintain legal residence status and complete their studies.
The lack of a valid entry visa is limited to their ability to leave the United States and return, which may be reapplied with the State Department. However, if students lose their legal residence status, they may be detained by immigration authorities. Some students have left the country and abandoned their studies to avoid arrest.
Higher education leaders fear arrests and visa revocation will prevent overseas students from receiving higher education in the United States.
Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the U.S. Board of Education, said the lack of causes that resulted in the revocation could cause fear.
“The ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are taking public actions around some of these students, where they evacuate these students from their homes or on the streets, which usually doesn’t do unless there is a security issue when revoking the student visa,” she said. “This threat of very quick removal is new.”
University is trying to reassure students
In the message given to their campus, the university said they asked the federal government to seek answers on what led to the termination. Others have re-emphasized students’ travel precautions, suggesting they carry their passports and other immigration documents with them.
University leaders talked about the growing feelings of uncertainty and anxiety.
“These are unprecedented times, and the normal guiding principles of our lives in democratic societies are being challenged,” Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, president of the University of Massachusetts Boston University, wrote in an email. “With the speed and depth of change, we must think carefully about the best preparation, protection and response.”
Suárez-Orozco said two students and “five other members of our university community, including graduates who recently participated in the training program”.
