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This story was first published by Arizona Luminaria.
The number of international students at Arizona State University who have had their visas revoked is now at least 50, according to an attorney representing the students.
Last week, Arizona Luminaria reported on eight students at ASU who had their visas revoked. That number has increased quickly, with at least three students facing some time in immigration detention, according to senior attorney Ami Hutchinson, with Green Evans-Schroeder, the Tucson, Arizona-based law firm representing the students. She said students she’s spoken to are confused.
“They’re really, really afraid.”
“They still seem to think that someone made a mistake. That it shouldn’t have happened and this was just all a misunderstanding,” Hutchinson said.
“They’re really, really afraid,” she added.
One ASU student remains in detention, and has been locked up for about 10 days, according to Hutchinson.
An ASU spokesperson would not confirm the number of students. Hutchinson told Arizona Luminaria she estimates the total number of revoked international student visas across the country to be around 1,000, based on other attorneys and firms working in Arizona and other states.
Hutchinson told Arizona Luminaria that ASU is “being supportive” of the students and has been paying Green Evans-Schroeder for a portion of their consultation fees with the students. ASU did not immediately respond about paying the consultation fees.
A spokesperson for the University of Arizona did not comment last week on whether any UA students have had their visas revoked, saying, “we care deeply about the safety and well-being of our campus community.”
Arizona Luminaria reached out again to the media office and directly to UA’s president, Suresh Garimella, for comment about possible visa revocations. The offices did not immediately respond.
A message March 31 informed UA students: “Be sure to check your email regularly for updates from U.S. Department of State (DOS). Some messages may include time-sensitive information related to your immigration status, visa compliance requirements, or the impact of any policy changes.”
The UA has recommended that all international students carry a copy of their passport, their visas, and proof of their immigration status on them at all times.
Notice of the visa revocations has been coming to the students via email, Hutchinson said. That has left students confused and unsure of what to do next.
Should they go to class? Should they prepare to leave the country, keep an eye out for federal immigration officers on campus?
Students at ASU who have had their visas revoked may still be able to go to classes, but Hutchinson said multiple students were set to graduate this spring and will not be able to obtain their degree.
“They can’t do that now, and so it just throws away many years of their studies,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson laid out other potential options for the students. They can wait and see what happens next, even if that risks possible detention and/or deportation. Or they can file a lawsuit, claiming that the U.S. government didn’t follow the proper procedures in canceling their visas. They can also request to have their status reinstated, though Hutchinson said that may not be viable for many of the students given the current political climate.
“The growing number of visa revocations at Arizona universities and across the country is part of the Trump administration’s disturbing efforts to silence dissent, target immigrants, and undermine the pillars of a free society,” Noah Schramm, a policy strategist at the ACLU of Arizona, told Arizona Luminaria. “The ACLU of Arizona unequivocally condemns the targeting of non-citizen students through the abuse of immigration authority and as punishment for protected expression.”
Wanting to Leave
The student who remains in immigration detention had a known conviction for driving under the influence from years ago, according to Hutchinson.
Hutchinson said the student was nearly done with their studies. At this point, they are willing to go home if that means they can get out of detention.
According to Hutchinson, the student said they want to leave the country and never come back because they want to go somewhere where they are treated with dignity and respect.
Arizona Luminaria reached out to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that issues visas, as well as the State Department, for comment. Luminaria also asked for the students’ nationalities and why their visas were revoked.
Officials with the federal agencies did not immediately respond.
“Bizarre and Unlawful”
In March, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to 60 colleges and universities “warning them of potential enforcement actions” if they don’t protect Jewish students on campus.
Hutchinson said attorneys in Arizona and other states representing students with revoked visas are wondering whether students who protested the war in Gaza, or engaged in other forms of political activity, at these institutions are being targeted.
She added that all of the students they’ve worked with are from India, China, or Muslim-majority countries.
Applying for a student visa to study in the United States is a complex process that is both expensive and laborious. Besides paying hundreds of dollars in fees, getting interviewed, and obtaining the visa and booking travel, students must acquire and maintain active status in the “Student and Exchange Visitor Information System” database, known as SEVIS.
A lawsuit filed April 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleges that hundreds of students across the country have had their SEVIS status “abruptly and unlawfully terminated.”
“Until recently, government policy generally allowed these students to remain in the United States and continue their studies.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement revoked the SEVIS status of several of the ASU students. They were told that was because of their failure to maintain legal status in the country, Hutchinson said. That’s because, in a sort of circular logic, the State Department canceled their student visas.
A letter developed by Green Evans-Schroeder explaining to students why their visa may have been revoked offers a bit of recent historical context.
“In the past, it has been relatively common for international students who were arrested, charged, or even convicted of minor offenses — typically misdemeanors — to receive notices that their student visas had been revoked,” according to the letter. “However, until recently, government policy generally allowed these students to remain in the United States and continue their studies until their Form I-20 expired.”
Hutchinson said Green Evans-Schroeder and other firms were considering joining or filing lawsuits, as well as possibly filing a class-action suit.
The hope is to bring these lawsuits not only saying that the government messed up and “did not do what they’re supposed to do, but also, the underlying basis is bizarre and unlawful,” Hutchinson said.
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