The Trump administration has revoked visas for hundreds of international students and detained about a dozen others on U.S. college campuses, usually without any warning or recourse.
Some arrests showed pure officials handcuffing and arresting students near their homes and sent shockwaves through the international student community.
More than 80 universities have reported revoked visas, hitting students and faculty from coast to coast, according to Inside Higher Ed’s tracker.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed last month that at least 300 visas have been revoked, adding that the department targets those involved in “opposition” activities in the U.S. national interest.
Many targeted people participated in some form of pro-Palestine events. In other cases, the cancellation appears to be related to people with some criminal record or those with legal violations such as driving speed limits, immigration lawyers say.
Immigration experts say students with visas have the same First Amendment rights as U.S. citizens and historically, students have rarely been deported due to political expression. However, due to the temporary nature of visas, they are easily deported.
Why revoke the student visa?
Some attorneys for students who filed lawsuits against the federal government said their visas were suddenly revoked without any warnings and no appeal or corrections were filed.
Rubio has said that if foreigners are considered to be engaged in “destabilizing” behavior, the student visa is for study and warned them that they will be revoked.
In a transcript released by the U.S. State Department, Rubio said, “It may be more than the 300 visas that have been revoked.”
“I actually don’t know that this is mainly a student visa. It’s a combination of visas,” he told reporters.
He said the affected people were primarily involved in the pro-Palestinian protests, but also included some who had previously had criminal charges.
A Turkish citizen and University of Minnesota student were detained in March after his visa was revoked for a previous drunk driving violation, according to CBS News, a media partner of the BBC.
Other reports show that the student was revoked his visa after discovering his previous speeding ticket.
Teachers and rights advocates express concern about students’ ability to share opinions without risking legal status.
“Presidents must not be allowed to set up ideology tests and exclude or evacuate those they disagree with,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement.
The White House has defended its actions using the provisions of the 1952 law that grants the Secretary of State extensive power to expel foreigners who are considered to have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States.
Which universities are affected?
Inside Higher Ed Tracker has identified more than 80 universities, and the legal status of international students and recent graduates has been changed by the State Department.
It lists major public universities with tens of thousands of students, such as Texas A&M, the University of Oregon, the University of Florida and the University of Colorado.
It also includes smaller private institutions such as Dartmouth College, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Stanford.
According to the Washington Post, federal authorities revoked visas for at least eight students at Arizona State University and at the University of California, Berkeley.
According to the Wall Street Journal, at least 57 visas have been revoked throughout the University of California system.
In the United States, there are approximately 1.1 million international student visa holders.
Student detention and deportation
Multiple students and faculty members are detained, including students with a student visa and at least one permanently legal U.S. resident.
Once detained, they are taken to a detention center in the United States, awaiting deportation.
Videos of some of the arrests show transparent immigration and customs law enforcement officers (ICE) officials approaching confused and frightened students before they are placed behind an unmarked car.
Some of the detained people claimed they were arrested without explanation and said they had committed no crime.
One of the most notable cases is Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and law permanent resident who was arrested in March at his university home.
Another case that has attracted national attention involves Tufts University students and the Turkish country Rumeysa Ozturk.
Footage of Ms Ozturk’s detention shows her fear as six ice shells surrounded her, wearing masks, stopped her on the street as she headed to the Ramadan celebration.
Brown University professor and kidney transplant expert Rasha Alawieh was deported after arriving at Boston Airport.
U.S. officials said they found “photos and videos” on her phone “sympathy” for Hezbollah.
At least two students whose visas were revoked fled to Canada, including Momodou Taal and Ranjani Srinivasan.
Litigation challenges White House efforts
Several students sued the government for challenging their visa revocation and detained in the event of delaying or blocking their deportation.
They claim they have been arrested and detained without reason or explanation, which may have violated their civil rights.
An example includes Little Liu, a 26-year-old doctoral student from China who studied at Dartmouth College.
Mr Liu is suing the government with the ACLU in New Hampshire, saying his visa has been revoked “without notice and adequate explanation.”
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Liu has not committed any crime or participated in any protests.
