Visas of hundreds of international students in the United States, including many from India, have been revoked. Students received emails from the US State Department instructing them to self-deport as their visas have been revoked. While these emails cited petty crimes such as shoplifting, drunk driving, etc as reasons for deportation, many reports suggest that students were deported due to their alleged involvement in campus activism.

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According to a report by the Associated Press, most students received letters due to their activities in support of the Gaza crisis on the internet. However, multiple reports have now claimed that old offences like speeding tickets have been mentioned in deportation emails.

To bar those suspected of criticizing the United States and Israel from entering the country, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March, ordered diplomats overseas to scrutinize the social media content ostudentf applicants for student and other types of visas. He also ordered a vigorous screening of web activities of students already on students visas. Cancellations of visas have picked up pace since then. This marks a shift in US policies that deported students only in case of arrest or conviction for a crime.

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What do the students say?

A report by the Times of India (TOI) has claimed that deported students were asked to leave the United States immediately. Students confessed about minor offences but said that those were old matters and were resolved, as per the report.

A student in Nebraska told TOI that he had gotten an over-speeding ticket two years ago in New York and the fine for that was also paid, but he was never arrested. However, he received an email stating that over-speeding was the reason for his deportation.

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Another student from Hyderabad in Missouri confessed to having been arrested for drunk driving. "I have been regularly giving urine tests to the police, and all have come back clean," the student said, adding that he is shaken by the deportation email. 

Another Indian student from Austin, Texas, recalled that he was arrested for shoplifting in July 2023. But his case was dismissed after a warning and on the basis of his good academic performance. "I followed all instruction and completed all the formalities. Why am I being punished?" he asked.

The report also quoted an immigration lawyer from Texas who said, "Revoking SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) for offences like drinking and driving, shifting lanes or over-speeding is extremely rare."

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List of universities impacted

The move is in line with US President Trump's executive orders to deport some foreign citizens, including those who might have "hostile attitudes" toward American "citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles." 

However, universities want an answer from the federal government. University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco spoke to the Associated Press about the need for preparedness and protection in these "unprecedented times." Harvard discovered the issue during a routine records review, but the reasons behind the revocations remain unclear.

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  1. Harvard University
  2. Stanford University
  3. University of California 
  4. University of Michigan Number 
  5. Ohio State University 
  6. Emerson College 
  7. Tufts University 
  8. Columbia University 
  9. University of Oregon
  10. Arizona State University (ASU) 
  11. University of Pennsylvania (Penn) 
  12. Northeastern University
  13. University of Massachusetts 
  14. Boston University (BU)
  15. Berklee College of Music 
  16. Duke University 
  17. Central Michigan University 
  18. Colorado State University 
  19. Kent State University 
  20. Minnesota State University 
  21. North Carolina State University 
  22. University of Cincinnati 
  23. University of Kentucky 
  24. University of Nevada

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(With inputs from agencies)