All four University of Idaho international students who had their U.S. visas revoked have had their legal status restored as of Monday, April 28, according to Executive Director of Communications Jodi Walker.
The UI students still have not had their visas reinstated. Instead, their legal status is being restored via their Student and Exchange Visitor Identification System documents. While the SEVIS records will allow them to stay in the country and continue as students, without visas they cannot reenter the U.S. if they leave.
The Argonaut reported on April 10 that two international students’ visas had been revoked, and subsequently two more students’ visas were revoked.
Last week, judges nationwide began ordering reversals on the terminations of over 1,700 student visas from recent weeks. The widespread revocations were part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on activist activities, particularly those who have shown support for Palestine amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lawsuits filed in California argued these legal statuses had been terminated without due process and should be reinstated until such procedures can occur.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has generally used the word “termination” to mean the deletion of a SEVIS record. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the loss of a SEVIS record immediately removes a student’s legal status and puts them at risk of deportation. On Friday, Elizabeth D. Kurlan, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, said ICE is developing a new policy that will “provide a framework for status record termination.”
Additionally, ICE will no longer be able to solely terminate records based on the National Crime Information Center which includes criminal history information. Students have reportedly had their status terminated for minor infractions such as speeding tickets that were flagged on their record.
“We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a news conference last month where he referred to students whose SEVIS status was terminated as “national security threats.” Rubio has been open about using social media to find outspoken international students, which has sparked many of these students and university-affiliated newspapers to scrub identifying information from their social media.
The Argonaut received a request in mid-April to remove two photos and a name from an article about a pro-Palestine protest which occurred on campus last year. As of April 18, these items have been deleted from The Argonaut’s website.
Across the country, schools and students have stood with their international students who are important parts of the academic community. Dean of Students Blaine Eckles sent an email to UI students on April 23 where he expressed a commitment to helping students mentally, physically or legally through hardships which may follow.
“We value their contributions. All students are welcome at UI,” said Eckles.
Joshua Reisenfeld can be reached at [email protected].