Texas Universities Revoked Legal Status of 118 Foreign Students
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Synopsis
As of April 11, 118 foreign students at Texas universities have had their legal statuses revoked, leading to significant implications for their studies and employment eligibility. Legal experts express concerns about the complexity of the appeal process for these students.
Key Takeaways
- 118 foreign students' statuses revoked in Texas.
- Students can leave or apply for reinstatement.
- SEVIS removal complicates appeal processes.
- Impact on dependents' immigration statuses.
- International students' social media screening announced.
Texas, April 11 (NationPress) At least 118 foreign students have had their legal statuses revoked at various universities within the US state of Texas as of Thursday, according to reports from local media.
Recently, these students were notified that their visas were cancelled or their immigration status was classified as terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, commonly referred to as the SEVIS federal database, according to the Xinhua news agency, citing The Texas Tribune.
Reportedly, 27 students from the University of North Texas and another 27 students from the University of Texas (UT) at Arlington were removed from SEVIS, as noted by university authorities.
Additionally, up to 10 UT-El Paso students had their visas revoked, according to a report by local media outlet KFOX14.
Other impacted institutions include UT-Dallas, Texas A&M, UT-Rio Grande, Texas Women's University, and Texas Tech, as reported.
Phillip Rodriguez, a legal expert in immigration, informed The Texas Tribune that students removed from SEVIS have the option to either leave or seek to reinstate their status.
However, opting to remove students from SEVIS rather than outright visa revocation complicates the appeal process, he explained.
"I think they are proactively making it so that students basically cannot continue their studies or making it extremely challenging to do so here in the United States without some form of intervention," stated another immigration attorney, Robert Hoffman.
Removal from SEVIS also impacts employment eligibility and the status of dependents, like spouses and children, who rely on the primary status holder's standing in the United States, he further noted.
Since US President Donald Trump assumed office in January, numerous international students at various US universities have been removed from SEVIS, many of whom were reportedly involved in the pro-Palestinian protests on campuses last year, while some faced issues for minor violations like traffic infractions, according to US media.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that they would commence screening international students' social media for antisemitic content.
