The Trump administration is rapidly revoking student visas for hundreds of international students at colleges across the country. ICE agents have abducted them on campuses and outside their homes, detaining them for months in remote holding cells; many foreign students are fleeing voluntarily to avoid that fate. Universities’ international offices are scrambling to navigate a visa system in chaos and figure out how to help students while avoiding federal backlash.
Students themselves are afraid and confused. Some were told they’re a “foreign policy threat,” others that minor criminal infractions are grounds for deportation. But many more have no idea what they did to jeopardize their hard-earned U.S. education.
Inside Higher Ed is closely covering the crackdown on visa holders. Follow along here.
Immigration officials sent letters to recent international graduates on short-term work visas giving them 15 days to report employment or face removal from the country.
A week after restoring foreign students’ legal status, immigration officials detailed plans for a new policy granting unprecedented leeway to terminate their residency. It could foreshadow a new round of deportation efforts.
The Trump administration has restored some international student records, following nationwide terminations in April, but legal experts say there’s no guarantee that students are safe.
Immigration officials are rapidly revoking hundreds of student visas. Many more are going unreported at small colleges anxious to avoid federal scrutiny.
International students are a financial lifeline for many colleges, and enrollments are just recovering from the pandemic. The Trump administration is pushing them away.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System has served as a repository for international student data for over 20 years. Now it’s under attack by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration is arresting foreign students in their dorms and threatening deportation. Students are rattled and uncertain about their future in America.
Some foreign Fulbright students are still waiting to hear about their visas for next academic year while applicants remain in the dark about their status.
Lawyers for the federal government say terminating students’ SEVIS records does not actually mean those students’ legal status in this country has changed. Immigration lawyers are skeptical.
As the administration continues its crackdown on noncitizens in higher ed, international academics face ICE raids, deportation and challenges at the border.
The Trump administration cleared the way for immigration enforcement officers to take action on campuses, sowing fear among undocumented students. Higher ed leaders are struggling with how to respond.
