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USA Today
03-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
How many international students had their legal status changed? Maps show Trump's impact.
How many international students had their legal status changed? Maps show Trump's impact. After thousands of international students had their visas revoked in April, the Trump administration reversed course, saying it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the United States. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations. Data from Inside Higher Ed shows at least 280 colleges and universities reported more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status altered by the State Department. Universities reported some students being forced to leave the United States immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) or via an unexpected text or email. Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students, and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations. Erasing records from SEVIS is different from revoking visas, USA TODAY has reported. These records allow international students to stay in the United States legally and attend classes. As of the 2023-2024 school year, an estimated 1.1 million international students study in the United States. USA TODAY reporters looked at which universities host the most international students and where the concentration of student visas were revoked. Which states revoked student visas? A database tracking total student visa terminations found that more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status changed. The data is based on public reports and direct correspondence compiled by Inside Higher Ed. The number could be even higher − the database notes that several universities did not indicate the amount of visas that had been revoked. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April that he revoked at least 300 visas from students. And at Colorado State University, officials said six students there lost their visas. It was unclear whether the students have the right to appeal their visa revocations, USA TODAY reported in April. Which universities had the most student visas revoked? Reported cases of student visa terminations are shown in the map below. A number with an asterisk indicates a positive change in the count, such as a visa reinstatement, according to the author of the database. The California State University system reported a total 70 student visas revoked, and the University of Texas system reported 170, according to Inside Higher Ed. Immigration experts said they've never seen the federal government make such sweeping changes to the ordinarily low-profile process of hosting international students. The National Immigration Project is challenging the visa cancellations, which have affected students in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, among others. How many international students are in the U.S.? According to the federal government, California is home to the largest number of international students, and the most popular majors among international students are computer science, language, and business administration and management. People from India and China represent the largest proportion of international students, accounting for about half of the overall enrollment, according to federal officials. New York University has the largest concentration of international students with 22% of its student body from foreign countries, an Open Doors report shows. Northeastern University in Boston follows with the largest international student body population. What happens next? Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor set another hearing in the Massachusetts case for May 6. CONTRIBUTING Bart Jansen
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds reveal how immigration squad targeted thousands of foreign students
A botched effort by the Trump administration to raise red flags about thousands of foreign students studying in the United States began with a rushed project by immigration officials dubbed the 'Student Criminal Alien Initiative,' according to new details revealed in court Tuesday. Beginning in March, as many as 20 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, aided by contractors, ran 1.3 million names of foreign students through a federal database that tracks criminal histories, missing persons and other brushes with the law. The search found about 6,400 'hits' that officials concluded were solid matches for names and other biographical details in the students' records, Homeland Security officials said during a hearing. But many of those hits flagged students who had minor interactions with police — arrests for reckless driving, DUIs and misdemeanors, with charges often dropped or never brought at all — far short of the legal standard required to revoke a student's legal ability to study in the U.S. Nevertheless, ICE officials used that data to 'terminate' the students' records in an online database schools and ICE use to track student visa holders in the U.S. Those terminations led schools to bar students from attending classes — some just weeks from graduation — and warn that they could be at risk of immediate deportation. The action spawned more than 100 lawsuits, resulting in dozens of restraining orders issued by judges across the country, who called the effort unlawful. On Friday, with more legal pain looming, the administration reversed the terminations and said it was drafting a new policy to vet foreign students in the U.S. But Tuesday's hearing revealed the hurried nature of the overall effort. Hundreds of the terminations, an ICE official who helped oversee the effort said, came less than 24 hours after an April 1 email exchange between his office and the State Department, with little sign of review of individual cases to ensure the decisions were accurate. In addition, the State Department relied on the data to revoke the visas of 3,000 people. 'When the courts say due process is important, we're not unhinged, we're not radicals,' U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during an hourlong hearing. 'I'm not on a lark questioning why students who have been here legally, who paid to be in this country by paying their universities … they're cut off with less than 24 hours of consideration and no notice whatsoever.' ICE and Justice Department officials described the ill-fated, resource-intensive effort under pressure by Reyes. The Biden-appointed judge used Tuesday's hearing to elicit as many specifics as possible about the administration's effort to target foreign students admitted to the country on so-called F-1 visas. Once admitted, those students are tracked in an ICE database known as the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System, or SEVIS. Andre Watson, an official with ICE's Counter Threat Lead Development Unit, said the purpose of terminating the student SEVIS registrations was not necessarily to prompt the foreign nationals to leave the U.S., but as a 'red flag' to trigger further scrutiny by government agencies or universities. But Reyes noted that no part of the program involved giving the affected students notice so they could explain their situations and avoid unnecessary consequences. The schools involved appear to have been given cursory reasons for the terminations, such as vague references to a criminal records check or students being 'out of status.' And internal records revealed in court underscored the hasty nature of the process. After the State Department proposed revoking 3,000 visas, ICE weighed whether to focus its SEVIS terminations on those same 3,000 people. 'Please terminate all,' responded an official identified in court papers as a 'division chief' in DHS' Homeland Security Investigations. After more than a week of vague responses in court from government lawyers about the immigration status of those students whose records were terminated, Justice Department attorney Johnny Walker said being booted from SEVIS did not mean that students had to leave the U.S. immediately. But he acknowledged that some universities might require those students to stop going to classes. 'That's up to the school,' Walker said. Lawyers for the students have noted that failure to attend classes can put someone out of legal immigration status and be grounds for deportation. Reyes at one point derided the effort as 'the non-process process.' She said the Trump administration had other options than simply terminating the students in the system and waiting to see what happens. 'You could have sent a letter to all these universities and said, 'Those people have come up on a hit, you may want to check them out,'' the judge said. Even after the hearing, it remained unclear how deeply DHS officials examined the reasons students had 'hits' in the federal criminal justice database run by the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC. The University of Wisconsin student who brought the suit that led to Tuesday's hearing, Akshar Patel, had faced a reckless driving charge but it was ultimately dismissed. 'Each record was scrutinized based on the criminal history,' Watson said. 'If we deported every single individual in this country who's been tagged for speeding there'd be very few people left,' Reyes said. 'You and I both know Mr. Patel is not a criminal, right? And anyone looking at the record would know that he's not a criminal.' Reyes said it was stunning that federal employees were diverted for weeks onto the labor-intensive project, just as the Trump administration was seeking to fire huge swaths of the federal workforce. 'It still boggles my mind that we're firing tens of thousands of federal workers on no notice and then take 10 or 20 of them to run a bunch of names through a database to see if they're still students, if they have a speeding record,' the judge said. 'You know, not my call.' A State Department spokesperson did not provide any information on changes to their vetting practices or statistics about visa revocations, but said they 'happen on an ongoing basis.' The State Department 'will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted,' the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UNM, NMSU international students visa records restored
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – International students at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University are experiencing a sigh of relief now that their visa records have been restored. This comes after the Trump Administration reversed course after revoking those visas for students across the country. New Mexico Tech student sues DHS, ICE after visa revoked UNM and NMSU told KRQE News 13 that they've been monitoring the developments closely. NMSU said nine students have had their records restored. UNM has not confirmed the amount but said those students are vital to the community. But the university said confusion about their status remains, as ICE is reviewing its policies for international students. In a statement, UNM stressed that international students are vital members of our university community: The recent decision to restore thousands of international students' records in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a welcome development for our campus community and higher education nationwide. We are encouraged to see this positive change reflected on our campus, and we remain committed to supporting our international students. International students are vital members of our university community. Their perspectives, scholarship, and talents enrich our classrooms, laboratories, and campus culture and reflect our nation's longstanding commitment to educational exchange and global engagement. We recognize that uncertainty remains as federal agencies develop new policies, and we will continue to monitor any new developments and to advocate for clear, just, and transparent processes. If individual students have questions about their immigration status, they should contact our Global Education Office for assistance.' Garnett Stokes, UNM President Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration reverses termination of student visas. What it means at Binghamton U.
The Trump administration reversed course and said it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the U.S. whose legal status abruptly terminated, setting off a scramble among students who feared being deported immediately. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing on April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations. Five Binghamton University international students were among those who had their visas revoked. On April 28, Binghamton University Senior Director of Media and Public Relations Ryan Yarosh said all five students had their status reverted, and will be able to remain in Binghamton to continue their studies. "The University remains committed to actively monitoring this evolving situation daily," Yarosh said. "Our International Student and Scholar Services team will continue to provide personalized outreach and guidance to students impacted by changes to their status." More: Binghamton U. 2025 commencement: Schedule, parking, traffic Universities have reported some students being forced to leave immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System or via an unexpected text or email. Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations. Mark Sauter, an assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, submitted a document that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement was developing a policy to terminate SEVIS records. But the registrations will remain active or be reactivated until that system is developed. Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor set another hearing in the Massachusetts case for May 6. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Student visas termination reversed: What it means for NY students
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration reverses controversial termination of student visas
The Trump administration reversed course and said it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the U.S. whose legal status abruptly terminated, setting off a scramble among students who feared being deported immediately. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing on April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts. Universities have reported some students being forced to leave immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System or via an unexpected text or email. Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. In Delaware, the University of Delaware confirmed eight students had records revoked by the Trump administration. The university has not confirmed whether updates to its SEVIS system yet reflect the DOJs change in course. Delaware State University President Tony Allen joined an amicus brief – also known as a "friend of the court" brief – filed in opposition to these revocations. But the HBCU, as well as Wilmington University, did not confirm whether students had been directly impacted. Overall, NAFSA and the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations. The federal government indicated to congressional committees on April 10 that it had terminated more than 4,700 immigration status records for foreign students, according to NAFSA. Expunging those records, which international students rely on to remain in the U.S. legally, is different from revoking visas. With a record 1.1 million foreign students in the country, at stake is the $44 billion they contributed to the U.S. economy last year, according to the Association of American Universities, a higher education advocacy group. Over 200 students removed from SEVIS have won court orders temporarily barring the administration from taking actions against them, according to a Reuters count. Mark Sauter, an assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, submitted a document that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement was developing a policy to terminate SEVIS records. But the registrations will remain active or be reactivated until that system is developed. 'ICE maintains the authority to terminate a SEVIS record for other reasons,' such as engaging in unlawful activity, the filing said in the case of Huadan Zheng, where the document was filed. Brad Banias, a lawyer for Zheng, had said in another filing that her registration remained terminated at 10:45 a.m. The student, who is also known as Carrie Zheng, has been unable to attend classes at Boston University without an active record in the SEVIS database. Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor in Boston, who has temporarily blocked Zheng's termination, set another hearing in the case for May 6. Saylor wrote that ICE anticipates reactivation "may take some time, because it involves a nationwide change in policy." Saylor also wrote that Zheng's record wouldn't be updated based solely on an unspecified finding in the National Crime Information Center that resulted in her termination. Zachary Schermele, Kelly Powers contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration reverses termination of student visas
