- Saturday, April 19, 2025
American Immigration Lawyers Association said the US immigration authorities are aggressively targeting international students, including those without a history of protest
By: India Weekly
INDIAN students in the US are grappling with a growing threat of deportation as authorities cancel F-1 visas over a range of issues – from participation in pro-Palestinian protests to minor legal infractions like violating traffic rules.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has collected 327 reports of visa revocations and termination of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), and found that 50 per cent of affected students were from India, followed by 14 per cent from China.
SEVIS is a legal document that stores data of an immigrant and proves their legal status, and its termination means that they no longer have valid F-1 non-immigrant status.
In most cases, the students claimed they were not given any warning, no opportunity to explain or defend themselves, and no chance to correct any potential misunderstanding before the visa revocations.
“The Department of State and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are aggressively targeting international students, including those without a history of protest, for visa revocation, termination of their status, and removal,” AILA said.
“Based on these reports, it is clear that transparency, oversight, and accountability are needed to prevent further arbitrary visa revocations and SEVIS record terminations. Finally, there should be a way for students to appeal SEVIS terminations that are inaccurate without facing a gap in their employment or requiring the university to be involved, given the sheer numbers of those impacted,” AILA said.
During his weekly press briefing on Thursday (17), foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We are aware that several Indian students have received communication from the US government regarding their F-1 visa status, which happens to be the student visa. We are looking into the matter. Our embassy and consulates, they are in touch with the students to provide support.”
More than 330,000 Indian students were enrolled in US higher education institutions in the 2023-24 academic year, a 23 per cent increase from the previous year.
The figure made India the country with the highest number of students in the US.
The opposition Congress party on Friday (18) expressed concern over the AILA claim and asked whether foreign minister S Jaishankar will take up the issue with his US counterpart.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a press statement issued on Thursday by AILA, and said it is “cause for concern to us in India”.
“The reasons for revocation are random and unclear. There is growing fear and apprehension,” Ramesh said.
“Will the External Affairs Minister take note and raise the concern with his US counterpart?” Ramesh said and tagged Jaishankar.
The foreign ministry has not confirmed whether the visa revocations of Indian students will be raised when US vice president JD Vance begins his India visit from Monday (21), The Hindu reports.
Meanwhile, the US state department has warned that students attempting to go against US laws will face the consequences, including deportation.
In a virtual interview with PTI, US department of state spokesperson Margaret MacLeod said the Trump administration was rigorously enforcing immigration laws, including the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Alien Registration Act.
“If you follow the law, America offers opportunities. But those who violate the law will face the consequences,” MacLeod told PTI Videos on a question related to the issues faced by Indian students in various US universities.
While MacLeod did not mention specific cases, she emphasised that adherence to US legal and visa requirements was essential to avoid penalties.
On the broader issue of illegal immigration, MacLeod underscored the Trump administration’s rigorous enforcement of immigration laws.
“The US government is committed to securing its borders and will not welcome those who enter by breaking our laws.”
MacLeod urged individuals residing in the US illegally, including relatives of Indian families, to voluntarily return to their home countries.
“There is still an opportunity to return to your homeland,” she said, directing them to contact the Department of Homeland Security or use the CBP app to facilitate their departures.
The US official expressed hope that those who entered the country unlawfully would leave voluntarily to avoid stricter enforcement measures.
The Trump administration has also launched a crackdown against top US universities, including Harvard, over pro-Palestinian campus protests and a range of other culture war issues such as transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding to those institutions over the issues.
US law requires universities to report donations from foreign sources exceeding $250,000 in a year.
The Trump administration began a review of $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard; called for restrictions including a mask ban and DEI removal; threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status; and demanded information on some visa holders at Harvard with a threat to take away its ability to enroll foreign students.
Harvard last week rejected numerous demands that it said would cede control to the government. The Trump administration subsequently said it was freezing $2.3 billion in funding.
The Trump administration has frozen or canceled some funding for universities like Columbia, Princeton, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and Northwestern as well.
Trump has particularly threatened universities over campus protests against US ally Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza after a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
Trump casts the protesters as foreign policy threats who are antisemitic and sympathetic to Hamas.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration wrongly conflates their advocacy for Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza with support for extremism and antisemitism. (Agencies)
