Indian-American Democrat demands answers from Trump on student visa revocations
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is pushing the Trump administration to explain its actions in cancelling student visas and revoking the legal status of foreign students in the middle of the academic year.Jayapal has written a letter to the Trump administration requesting information regarding the number of student visas revoked. She also requested information concerning the grounds on which the legal status of foreign students is being withdrawn. Jayapal points out in the letter how the sudden cancellation of visas left students in limbo regarding their future in the United States.advertisementEven after a recent government decision to restore some of the cancellations in a federal database, the matter is far from resolved. Some students are still in immigration detention, and there are fears that more visa revocations will take place in the future.
These abrupt status changes, which happened just weeks before graduation for many students, have resulted in almost 100 lawsuits nationwide as students attempt to restore their legal status."This appears to be an attack on student visa holders writ-large, and not just on those who hold policy positions with which the administration disagrees," wrote Jayapal in her letter. She is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.advertisementJayapal's letter, signed by more than 130 other Democrats, is directed to two government agencies: the Department of State, which can cancel visas, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which can detain or deport students whose visas have been cancelled.WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSIt all began when visas of several hundred students were revoked, and thousands had their legal statuses withdrawn in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS assists schools in verifying the immigration status of students so they can go to class or do research.The government revoked student visas, alleging that some of the students participated in campus protests or were listed in the National Crime Information Centre database, despite the fact that some of these charges had been dismissed or were never established.In court, the government stated that it is developing a new system and will refrain from making additional changes to students' status in the SEVIS database until its implementation.Jayapal is concerned that the uncertainty of visa status will hurt U.S. universities. As Trump administration immigration arrests mount, numerous students are uncertain about their future in the US. At least one student has already self-deported, according to the Department of Homeland Security.advertisement"This heavy-handed and politically motivated immigration enforcement is turning university campuses into places of fear, rather than learning," Jayapal warned in her letter.WHO IS PRAMILA JAYPAL?Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington's 7th Congressional District, was born on September 21, 1965, in Chennai, India. She became the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Jayapal is famous for her activism on immigration reform, healthcare, economic justice, and climate action, and she continues to be a vocal advocate for student rights and immigration reform.ALSO READ: Indian-origin CEO shoots wife and son at US home, then kills self
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