DEEYA GUPTA
More than 1,000 international students in the U.S. have had their visas or legal residency status revoked since late March. Students attending Northern California schools, such as Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, San Jose State and San Mateo Community College are among those affected.
According to university statements and court records reviewed by the Associated Press, at least 1,024 students at 160 colleges and universities have been affected. Most of the students held F-1 or J-1 visas, which are issued to full-time students and exchange visitors.
Stanford University reported discovering six visa revocations during a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a federal database used to monitor the visa status of international students. Other schools said they learned of the terminations only after being contacted by students or immigration authorities.
Yvonne Tan Yu Yan, a third year communications studies major, is an international student and a member of the International Students Association.
“When the news first came out, I was like, ‘Oh, no’ A sinking feeling or dread. […] ICE deporting people and then student visas, it all just kind of happened during the same span of time and I was just in a state of like, okay, if it happens, we’ll deal with it. But yeah, there’s definitely a lot of fear involved.” Yan splits time between Singapore and China, making their situation a little complicated. “Flying anywhere right now is hard. I’m fortunate enough that I’m going to stay here over summer, but now I’m worried for people who are coming in. Like I have family who are planning on flying into the U.S this summer […] I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if they’re going to be okay.’”
Reasons for the visa revocations vary. According to NBC News, some students were flagged for prior criminal charges, including non-violent offenses such as DUI convictions. Others were associated with political activism or had social media activity that was reviewed by federal agencies. NBC reported that a Department of Homeland Security task force has used data tools to examine students’ online histories and legal records. “The protests that are happening in school, and stuff that are happening on the internet, it’s like, I am not as fast to like [potentially political posts on social media] anymore. Just because I’m afraid of if they ever do scrub through my page,” said Yan.
In a press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about revoking the visas of international students who participated in protests on their campuses, “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses. And if we’ve given you a visa and decide to do that then we’ll take it away. I encourage every country to do that by the way. Cause I think it’s crazy to invite students to your country that are coming onto your campus and destabilizing it. We’re just not gonna have it.”
In some cases, students were detained by immigration officials or told to leave the country within days. Some have already left to avoid further legal consequences. According to attorneys representing students, legal status has been terminated in several instances, not just the visa itself.
“The timing and uniformity of these terminations leave little question that DHS has adopted a nationwide policy, whether written or not, of mass termination of student (legal) status,” the ACLU of Michigan wrote in a court filing on behalf of students at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.
“What you’re seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories,” said Michelle Mittelstadt of the Migration Policy Institute.
USF Media relations spokesperson Kellie Samson gave a statement on the behalf of the university stating, “International students are a vital part of the USF community and we want to ensure they have the institutional support they need to continue their studies or practical training with minimal disruption. International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) has protocols in place for staying up to date on student visa and immigration status and reaching out to students. ISSS is doing everything it can to make sure students are aware of the support available via direct messages from ISSS to students and more general messages via the ISSS website. […] International students with questions about their status should contact their ISSS advisor directly.”
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What you’re seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories,” said Michelle Mittelstadt of the Migration Policy Institute
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