By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde
The Trump administration has revoked over 1,800 student visas, affecting international students and recent graduates across the US.
According to immigration lawyer Dustin Baxter, some students had their visas revoked without clear reasons, and in some cases, without even being arrested or charged with a crime. Baxter noted, “Not only would they revoke the person’s student visa–even if there was no conviction, if there was just an arrest, and sometimes there wasn’t even an arrest, just an encounter and maybe a ticket–they would revoke the student visa”.
Many students received little to no notice, with some learning about their visa revocation from their schools rather than Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Universities also often found out about the revocations through government records rather than formal notifications. For instance, Stanford University discovered the visa revocations of four students and two recent graduates during a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database.
This shift in protocol has raised concerns, as ICE is now directly revoking visas, unlike in the past when designated school officials typically initiated the process. Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, highlighted this change, saying, “Up until Trump took office, it was really up to the designated school officials to initiate that revocation in SEVIS. What we’re seeing now is that ICE is doing it themselves”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the visa cancellations under a clause targeting individuals whose presence poses “serious foreign policy consequences”. The State Department claims it has “broad authority” to revoke visas at any time, continuously monitoring visa holders and revoking their visas and deporting them if they don’t follow the rules.
Some affected students are fighting back, with over 65 lawsuits filed and at least 290 international students or recent graduates challenging the federal government’s decision to terminate their SEVIS records. In 35 suits, plaintiffs have secured temporary orders from judges allowing them to stay in the country.
Examples of Affected Universities:
– Florida Atlantic University: 6 students’ visas revoked, including 2 post-graduate students and 4 currently enrolled students.
– Florida International University: 18 international student visas revoked.
– University of Florida: 8 similar cases reported.
– Stanford University: 4 students and 2 recent graduates had their student visas rescinded.
