Several international students whose visas have been revoked in recent weeks have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing that the administration denied their due process when it was suddenly allowed to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.
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 Michigan Attorneys ACLU represents Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, with little doubt on the timing and unity of these terminations, and the DHS adopts a nationwide policy, both in writing, whether termination in writing, and mass termination of student (legal) status.
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.
What international students are seeing is actually a bigger scrutiny 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.
