President Donald Trump’s administration has rescinded more than 1,000 student visas of international students studying in the United States, multiple sources have reported.
The news is causing anxiety among some local international students who are concerned they’ll be next.
“There’s a lot of fear,” said a graduate student at Bowie State University from India, who added that she’s just trying to keep a low profile and do her work. “I’m trying my best to know the rules, follow the rules and stay in the box.”
WTOP is not identifying any student interviewed for this story.
At least seven University of Maryland students have also “experienced the unexpected termination of their lawful status,” the university said in a statement to WTOP.
“I saw this country as an opportunity to make something better for myself, for my family,” said another student from Nigeria. “I think it’s unjust, unfair and uncalled for.”
In a statement released Tuesday, George Mason University announced 15 international students’ visas had been terminated or revoked.
“As we seek to learn why our students were selected for visa revocation and what decision-making process is being applied by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, we are writing to the George Mason community to affirm our advocacy for the appropriate treatment of all international students enrolled here,” GMU President Gregory Washington wrote. “We will do whatever the law permits to assist our students, and we are actively exploring what those options may be.”
Multiple lawsuits have already been filed against the Trump administration to challenge the crackdown on foreign students.
A coalition of 19 attorneys general have joined a lawsuit brought by the American Association of University Professors trying to stop the visa cancellations. The suit attempts to prevent the federal government from hindering the students’ First Amendment rights of freedom of speech or protest.
A class-action lawsuit filed Friday asks a federal court to reinstate the legal status of international students caught up in a Trump administration crackdown that has left more than a thousand fearful of deportation.
The suit filed by several American Civil Liberties Union affiliates seeks to represent more than 100 students in New England and Puerto Rico.
“International students are a vital community in our state’s universities, and no administration should be allowed to circumvent the law to unilaterally strip students of status, disrupt their studies, and put them at risk of deportation,” said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.
Approximately 1.5 million international students are currently studying in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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