Panic grips international students in the US with visas revoked

How many Indian student visas have been abruptly revoked in the United States since March? The answer is not known, even as social media swarms with horror stories of students finding their visas cancelled in an email which typically gives them 15 days to appeal and sort it out or deport themselves from the country.

The appeals go to immigration judges who are essentially bureaucrats appointed by the US administration. They are likely to toe the line of the administration and if nudged, will turn the appeal down. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the students identified as "lunatics" and "national security threats", reports suggest that the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) headed by Elon Musk has been matching various databases to identify students who have had any kind of brush with the law.

Minor traffic violations, drunken driving, driving without a license, a loud argument with one’s own spouse that draws the attention of neighbours, speeding etc. have often led to court appearances, where photographs, fingerprints etc. are collected. Reports now indicate that any such record, even when the cases were dismissed, is inviting visa revocations.

While the Trump administration has not spelled out its reasons for the purge, it is widely perceived as an attempt to create panic and discourage international and non-White students from travelling to the US for higher studies. Donald Trump does not like immigrants, is the logic advanced.

An NBC report darted 10 April stated, “As of Wednesday, authorities had revoked the visas of international students in at least 29 states — with officials largely citing a seldom-used 1952 foreign policy statute to take aim at their activism… Attorneys and advocates say it seems as though people who have protested in support of Palestinians, those with previous arrests and those with certain political social media posts are the likeliest to have been swept up… They come after the small and the weak — people who don’t have as many resources to defend themselves.” 

Most of the students targeted are studying under the F-1 and J-1 visas. The F-1 visa allows foreigners to enter the United States as full-time students of accredited educational institutions. And to qualify for those visas, people must meet certain criteria, including approval from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), proficiency in English or enrolment in courses that lead to English proficiency, and sufficient funds to support themselves during their entire course of study.

The J-1 visa, available to students, teachers, researchers and other specialists, allows people to participate in approved programmes for studying, conducting research, receiving training or demonstrating special skills. And once their programmes are complete, they are required to return to their countries within 30 days.   

An Indian-origin professor in an American university, posting under his own name, has posted several such horror stories. A student immigrant bumps against a car gently while taking a turn in rainy and foggy weather; another one whose license expired three days before a minor accident and who had already applied for renewal; an immigrant couple driving with a half-finished bottle of liquor lying on the back seat; another new immigrant stopped by the police for not pulling over immediately when signalled; a student whose tail light was cracked. 

In all these cases, the cops were sympathetic and understanding. They advised the students that they had no option but to book them because of body cams and surveillance cameras; but they were told that they should appeal and attend the court and the cases would be thrown out. That is what happened in court, and the students thought the worst was over. Until April, when emails informed them that they were no longer welcome in the United States.

Will the Indian government take this up with the Trump administration? Or will the MEA advise Indian students to abide by the laws of the United States, as in the case of illegal Indian immigrants deported unceremoniously earlier this year?