Latest news with #SuguruOnda
Yomiuri Shimbun
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Researchers, Students in U.S. Face Uncertain Stay as Trump Stirs Turmoil
Courtesy of Suguru Onda Japanese student Suguru Onda WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has refused to issue new visas for a number of foreign researchers living in the United States, and Japanese researchers are no exception. President Donald Trump's administration is cutting government spending for scientific research and tightening its grip on researchers in the country. The moves may also harm collaborative research between the two countries. The National Institutes of Health, one of the world's largest medical research institutes, has been among the hardest hit. The Trump administration is cutting about 1,200 employees at the institute and dismantling and merging research departments. According to a group of Japanese and other researchers living in the United States, one Japanese researcher was under contract at the institute for a fixed term, but after being promoted to a permanent position in February, they were going to update their visa. However, the researcher's new position was culled in the personnel cuts. No new visa was issued and the researcher returned to Japan. After Trump's inauguration, another Japanese researcher who was supposed to start working for the NIH was informed that their contract was suspended. The researcher could not procure the documents needed to receive a visa. The NIH is conducting joint research with Japan in cutting-edge medical fields such as for cancer and infectious diseases. 'It's possible that Japan-U.S. collaboration will taper off,' a Japanese government official said. The Trump administration, which wants to curb illegal immigration, has tightened control of its borders. Foreign students have also been affected. According to local media reports, the U.S. government has used AI and other means to check foreign students' social media accounts and their criminal records, and more than 4,700 students have had their residence status revoked since January. In some cases, the government viewed students who protested against Israel's invasion of Gaza as supporting terrorism and made arrests. According to sources, some Japanese people have had their visas and residence status canceled for minor traffic violations that previously were not considered serious. The Japanese Embassy in the United States has called for Japanese students in the country to inquire with their school or supporting organization about the situation and to consult a lawyer if necessary. Japanese student Suguru Onda, 41, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that the U.S. government temporarily revoked his residential status. Onda has been studying information science in a doctoral course at Brigham Young University in Utah since 2019. On April 8, he received a notice from the U.S. government that said his residence status was being revoked because he had a criminal record. 'My mind went blank. I had no idea what they were talking about,' he said. He would have to apply for a new visa in Japan to continue his research in the United States. He consulted a lawyer, and 10 days after he received the notice, he sued the U.S. government, seeking to resolve the problem. Soon the U.S. government contacted him and said that his status was restored. 'My family living in the United States was also very anxious. We have yet to receive any clear explanation,' he said.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Japanese student has visa reinstated after it was revoked by potential AI mistake
A Japanese student in Utah had his student visa status reinstated suddenly after it was mysteriously cancelled earlier this month. His attorney believes the sudden switch-up shows the student was mistakenly flagged for deportation by artificial intelligence. Suguru Onda, a doctoral student at Brigham Young University, learned on Friday his status had been restored, minutes after he and a group of fellow university students filed a lawsuit arguing the government suddenly and arbitrarily cancelled their visas 'to coerce students' to leave the country even though they had done nothing wrong. 'He is reinstated as if it was never revoked,' attorney Adam Crayk told KSL-TV. Onda, a father of five studying computer science, was notified earlier this month his status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System had been terminated because he was 'identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked,' a procedural step that functionally ended his ability to remain in the United States for more than two weeks after the change. The Japanese student had little apparent criminal history, besides a few speeding tickets and a fishing citation for organizing a church event where others caught too many fish, according to his lawyer. 'I feel helpless,' Onda told KSL NewsRadio at the time. 'Like nobody knows (the) answer, nobody knows what to do, what's going to happen.' The Department of Homeland Security told NBC News it would not elaborate on Onda's case 'due to privacy concerns and visa confidentiality.' The department has said it is using high-tech tools to search the social media activity and potential criminal histories of international students in the U.S. That effort includes a State Department effort using artificial intelligence to screen foreign students for alleged support of terror groups, Axios reported in March. Since taking office, more than 1,500 students from nearly 250 colleges have had their visas revoked, according to a tracker from Inside Higher Education. The visa pullbacks have prompted lawsuits and widespread confusion. They form the second major prong of the administration's deportation push on college campuses. The White House has also targeted prominent leaders of the campus pro-Palestine movement, using a little-tested authority in federal immigration law to argue their activism threatens U.S. foreign policy interests.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Japanese student has visa reinstated after it was revoked by potential AI mistake
A Japanese student in Utah had his student visa status reinstated suddenly after it was mysteriously cancelled earlier this month. His attorney believes the sudden switch-up shows the student was mistakenly flagged for deportation by artificial intelligence. Suguru Onda, a doctoral student at Brigham Young University, learned on Friday his status had been restored, minutes after he and a group of fellow university students filed a lawsuit arguing the government suddenly and arbitrarily cancelled their visas 'to coerce students' to leave the country even though they had done nothing wrong. 'He is reinstated as if it was never revoked,' attorney Adam Crayk told KSL-TV. Onda, a father of five studying computer science, was notified earlier this month his status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System had been terminated because he was 'identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked,' a procedural step that functionally ended his ability to remain in the United States for more than two weeks after the change. The Japanese student had little apparent criminal history, besides a few speeding tickets and a fishing citation for organizing a church event where others caught too many fish, according to his lawyer. 'I feel helpless,' Onda told KSL NewsRadio at the time. 'Like nobody knows (the) answer, nobody knows what to do, what's going to happen.' The Department of Homeland Security told NBC News it would not elaborate on Onda's case 'due to privacy concerns and visa confidentiality.' The department has said it is using high-tech tools to search the social media activity and potential criminal histories of international students in the U.S. That effort includes a State Department effort using artificial intelligence to screen foreign students for alleged support of terror groups, Axios reported in March. Since taking office, more than 1,500 students from nearly 250 colleges have had their visas revoked, according to a tracker from Inside Higher Education. The visa pullbacks have prompted lawsuits and widespread confusion. They form the second major prong of the administration's deportation push on college campuses. The White House has also targeted prominent leaders of the campus pro-Palestine movement, using a little-tested authority in federal immigration law to argue their activism threatens U.S. foreign policy interests.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
BYU PhD Student will not be deported, lawyer says
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available. PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — BYU PhD student Suguru Onda will not be deported, according to a statement given to by his lawyer. PREVIOUS: 'It's unfair': International PhD student at BYU speaks after his student visa was revoked In the statement, Adam Crayk, Onda's lawyer, confirmed with that they had won the court case and that Onda's student visa has been reinstated. Utah international students file lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security 'Everything is as it was before,' Crayk told ACLU asks Supreme Court to block 'imminent' wave of Alien Enemies Act deportations Republicans deny Democrats' requests for El Salvador oversight trips Van Hollen on Abrego Garcia meeting: 'Nobody drank any margaritas' A first look at the LPGA Black Desert Championship trophy Hide-n-Seek: A journey of friendship and triumph over trichotillomania Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
