Since the new administration took over the Oval Office, new policies have come into play, and some of these policies are affecting students across America, specifically international students. The Associated Press reported that students stripped of their entry visas received orders from the Department of Homeland Security to leave the country immediately. However, the former method usually allowed students to stay and complete their studies.
Students in other countries must meet a series of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually an F-1. After gaining admission to a school in the U.S., students go through an application and interview process at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.
The moves targeted students at a wide range of universities, from private institutions like Harvard and Stanford to public ones like the University of Texas at Austin and Minnesota State University-Mankato. The University of California had dozens of cases reported across its campuses.
University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco wrote in an email to the AP, “These are unprecedented times, and our normal guiding principles for living in a democratic society are being challenged—with the rate and depth of changes occurring, we must be thoughtful in how we best prepare, protect, and respond.”
Several students have reportedly sued the government to challenge their terminations, and lawsuits are expected to pile up.
