Visa crackdown leads international students in the US to reconsider summer travel

By MAKIYA SEMINERA On summer break from a Ph D activity an international scholar at University of California San Diego was planning a trip with a limited friends to Hawaii But after seeing international students across the United States stripped of their legal status the pupil decided against it Related Articles How Alcatraz became America s largest part notorious prison attorneys general ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Robustness and Human Services States sue Trump administration for blocking the growth of wind capacity Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US authorities health-tracking programs A GOP congressman is peppered with questions about Trump during raucous town hall Any progress even inside the U S just didn t seem worth the liability I allegedly am going to skip that to have as minimal interactions with governments as viable commented the learner who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted International students weighing voyage to see family take a vacation or conduct research are thinking twice because of the Trump administration s crackdown which has added to a sense of vulnerability Even before students suddenly began losing permission to survey in the U S various colleges were encouraging international students and faculty to postpone tour citing governing body efforts to deport students involved in pro-Palestinian activism As the scale of the status terminations emerged in newest weeks more schools have cautioned against non-essential trip abroad for international students University of California Berkeley for one issued an advisory last week saying upcoming international passage was risky due to strict vetting and enforcement At least students at colleges universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or legal status terminated since late March according to an Associated Press review of university statements correspondence with school officers and court records The number of affected students appears far higher though At least international students visa records were terminated in a authorities database that maintains their legal status according to an April Immigration and Customs Enforcement response to inquiries from Congress Suddenly at liability for deportation specific students went into hiding while others left the country on their own Countless of the students reported they had only minor infractions on their records or didn t know why their records were removed After federal judges raised due process concerns in several students cases the U S cabinet reversed the terminations but then issued new guidance expanding the reasons international students can lose their legal status in the future Under the new guidelines valid reasons for status termination include the revocation of the visas students used to enter the U S In the past if a trainee s visa was revoked they generally could stay in the U S to finish school They purely would not be able to reenter if they left the country The fast-evolving situation has left colleges struggling to advise students A Michigan college employee who helps international students approach the visa process stated they are inquiring more than ever about summer journey The employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media announced he often has been unable to give sufficient answers Last year the U S hosted around million international students a source of essential tuition revenue at multiple schools Advocates say that number is likely to shrink as the crackdown hurts America s appeal Over the past limited weeks Rishi Oza s immigration law firm in North Carolina has received calls about excursion risks almost daily from people of varied immigration status including international students You kind of shake your head and say Is this the character of the country we want Oza stated It just seems that it s a bit out of whack that people are fearful of leaving and whether they ll be able to come back Students in the U S with a visa need to decide if their travels are critical Oza stated When attempting reentry after leaving the country they should bring immigration documents school transcripts and even court documents if they were charged with a crime and the court dismissed the affair Ultimately lawyers can t foretell what will happen at the airport he revealed The unpredictability has put one international novice at the University of Illinois in distress The scholar who requested anonymity to avoid being targeted has laid low since one of his classmates left the country after their legal status was terminated The aspirant s plan to advance to his home country in Asia this summer causes feelings of panic but he has nowhere else to stay He bought his plane ticket and is committed to the trip His anxiety over what could happen when he returns however is still there Right now he explained I m afraid I might not be able to come back Associated Press reporter Christopher L Keller contributed from Albuquerque New Mexico The Associated Press schooling coverage receives financial endorsement from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org