The US government has been aggressively targeting international students, and several students have faced visa cancellations since Donald Trump took control of the White House. As per reports collected by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), a total of 327 international students have had their study visas revoked. Of these, about 50 per cent are Indians.
“The Department of State (DOS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are aggressively targeting international students, including those without a history of protest, for visa revocation, termination of their status, and removal,” the Association stated in a report. AILA claimed this as they observed that only two students of these 300+ reported any history of engaging in political protests.
This report also added that late last month, Secretary Rubio reported that DOS revoked more than 300 student visas and announced a new “Catch and Revoke” programme that uses AI-assisted reviews to screen social media posts of student visa holders.
Since that time, hundreds more students have had their visas revoked because of encounters with law enforcement, many of which did not result in a conviction.
“In concert, ICE began to terminate thousands of records of international students, which has significant implications for their immigration status.² The administration has not publicly stated their rationale for the ICE termination of SEVIS records, but many report to have some interaction with the police. There is some speculation that AI is involved in the ICE termination process as well, targeting students with arrest records,” AILA added.
SEVIS is a US government database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. A terminated SEVIS record means that the student no longer maintains “F or M status” (student visas are either F or M visas), and if that happens, the student loses employment authorisation, cannot re-enter the US on the terminated record, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents may investigate to confirm the student’s departure.
AILA collected 327 reports of visa revocations and SEVIS terminations from attorneys, students, and university
employees. Of these 327 cases, about 50 per cent of these students were from India, followed by 14 percent
from China. Other significant countries represented in this data include South Korea, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
The other 50 per cent were on Optional Practical Training (OPT), meaning they had graduated and were employed in the United States. These individuals are unable to work immediately upon the termination of their SEVIS record. “The road to re-instating status for those who have already graduated and are employed on OPT is much more difficult and murkier than those who are currently students,” the Association added.
In this report, it was also observed that 57 per cent reported receiving notice of their visa revocation. The majority of these notices came by email from the consulate that issued their visa. Additionally, the policy brief noted that the stated rationale for SEVIS terminations was not “always consistent with the record.” Of the instances of SEVIS terminations, 83 per cent received notices only from their university, while 14 per cent reported receiving a notice from ICE.
Reacting to this report, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote: “The press statement issued by the American Immigration Lawyers Association yesterday is a matter of concern for India. Of the 327 visa cancellation cases of international students collected so far by the organisation, 50% are Indian students. The reasons for visa cancellation are inconsistent and vague. This is constantly increasing fear and apprehension among the students. Will the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar take cognizance of this matter and raise it with his US counterpart?”
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing on Thursday: “We are aware that several Indian students have received communication from the US Government regarding their F-1 visa status, which happens to be the student visa. We are looking into the matter. Our embassy and consulate are in touch with the students to provide support.”
-TN EDUCATION
