Deportation: Panic as visa crackdown hits hundreds of international students

A sweeping federal visa crackdown across the United States has left hundreds of international students in panic, fearing deportation after suddenly losing their legal status.

At least 901 students at more than 128 US colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with officials.

Advocacy groups say hundreds more could be affected, with reports still coming in.

Calls to immigration lawyers have surged.

“We thought it was going to be something that was unusual,” said Matthew Maiona, a Boston-based immigration attorney now receiving up to six calls a day. “But it seems now like it’s coming pretty fast and furious.”

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Many students say they were blindsided.

In most cases, they were informed via email from their universities — not the government — that their legal status had been revoked.

Some students were told their entry visas were canceled following “criminal records checks,” though few, if any, were charged with crimes.

Four students from Michigan universities are now suing the Donald Trump administration, claiming their visas were revoked without due process.

“We don’t know, and that’s the scary part,” said Ramis Wadood, an ACLU attorney representing the students.

He said one had a parking ticket. Another had none at all.

The crackdown has shocked colleges across the US, from Ivy League schools to state universities and small liberal arts colleges.

In many cases, schools only discovered students’ status had been terminated after checking the Homeland Security immigration database.

Previously, status changes typically occurred after a school notified the government that a student had withdrawn or dropped out.

Now, the process appears to bypass schools entirely.

Some federal courts are stepping in.

In New Hampshire, a judge granted a restraining order last week to restore the status of a Dartmouth Ph.D. student.

Similar orders were issued in Wisconsin and Montana, temporarily protecting students from detention or removal.

The Department of Homeland Security and State Department declined to comment.

The Biden administration has cited national security as a reason for revoking some visas.

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government would revoke visas of individuals who oppose U.S. interests — including protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza and those facing criminal charges.

But many of the affected students say they don’t fall into those categories.

International students make up a large and important part of US higher education.

Roughly 1.1 million were enrolled in American institutions last year.

They are typically not eligible for federal aid and often pay full tuition, making them a critical revenue source for schools.

More than half are from India or China, though lawyers say the crackdown has impacted students from all over the world.

Some have already left the country.

Others are appealing their terminations while remaining in legal limbo.

Still others are not students at all, but recent graduates working under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program — a temporary visa that allows them to work in the U.S. after completing a degree.

About 242,000 people currently live and work in the U.S. on OPT.

One student suing the government is a Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate with a faculty job offer.

His visa was revoked over a traffic ticket from a car he loaned to a friend. The violation was dismissed.

“These are kids who now, under the Trump administration, realize their position is fragile,” said Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer representing 17 students.

“They’ve preyed on a very vulnerable population. These kids aren’t hiding. They’re in school.”

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Chinese Ph.D. student says she now carries her passport and immigration documents everywhere.

She has no criminal record and no idea why students like her are being targeted.

“That is the most scary part,” she said. “Because you don’t know whether you’re going to be the next person.”

(AP)

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