The Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international student visas across the country, setting off a desperate scramble for them to leave the United States within days.
Universities have reported some students being forced to leave immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System or via an unexpected text or email. Multiple universities contacted by the USA TODAY Network regarding the visa cancellations declined to discuss specifics, citing student confidentiality.
Immigration experts said they've never seen the federal government make such sweeping changes to the ordinarily low-profile process of hosting international students. The National Immigration Project is challenging the visa cancellations, which have affected students in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, among others.
The cancellations reflect a small percentage of the estimated 1.5 million international students studying in the United States, but have sent shockwaves through the collegiate community. Some of the cancellations appear to be connected to things as minor as roommate disputes or as off-campus traffic tickets, university officials said, while others appear to be connected to pro-Palestinian protest participation.
"I've been doing this for 25 years and I've never seen 300 students lose their visas," said Len Saunders, a Washington state immigration attorney based near the Canadian border. "To hear that something like 300 visas were canceled out of the blue … it's all political. To read that there's hundreds of people having their visas canceled, you know exactly what it is."
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