Hundreds of international students are being forced to leave the United States following an aggressive crackdown on student visas by the Trump administration.
Reports indicate that the Department of Homeland Security has intensified efforts to identify and deport students, including those who have not been charged with any crime. “Do not attempt to remain in the United States. The federal government will find you,” read an email reportedly from the Department, shared by immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni.
Immigration lawyer Dustin Baxter, who is representing more than 100 affected students in a lawsuit against the government, stated that visa revocations are happening arbitrarily. “Not only would they revoke the person’s student visa – even if there was no conviction, if there was just an arrest, and sometimes there wasn’t even an arrest, there was just an encounter and maybe a ticket – they would revoke the student visa,” Baxter said in comments to CNN.
Some students learned their visa had been revoked only after being contacted by their schools, while many institutions were also left in the dark. Stanford University reported that it discovered four of its students and two recent graduates had lost their visas only during a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database on April 4.
This marks a significant shift in policy. Traditionally, designated school officers were responsible for initiating visa revocations in SEVIS. However, according to Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now bypassing schools to take unilateral action.
One of the most publicized cases involved Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was handcuffed and detained by immigration agents shortly after her visa was revoked without prior notification. Surveillance footage presented in court reportedly captured Öztürk “shrieking in fear and confusion” as she was taken away.
The Trump administration has defended the actions, citing legal provisions that allow visa revocations on national security or foreign policy grounds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referenced a clause that permits the cancellation of visas if an individual’s presence poses “serious foreign policy consequences.”
A statement from the State Department asserted the government’s “broad authority” to revoke visas at any time, even after they are issued. “We continuously check visa holders… and we will revoke their visas and deport them if they don’t [follow the rules],” the agency warned.
The development has caused widespread panic among international students, with many now facing sudden detentions, deportations, and academic disruptions, even in the absence of formal charges or due process.