In a stunning move, the U.S. has revoked the F-1 visas of more than 300 international students enrolled at elite institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley. The action, revealed in an April 7 legal memo by immigration attorney Rajiv S. Khanna, highlights a disturbing pattern of sudden SEVIS terminations—many executed without prior notice or due process.
Khanna’s memo outlines a wide range of alleged reasons for the cancellations, including minor past offenses (like DUI charges—even where students were acquitted), supposed lapses in maintaining immigration status, and even participation in protests or politically sensitive social media posts. Alarmingly, some terminations appear to be triggered by algorithmic flags or anonymous tips, raising serious concerns about surveillance and retaliation.
Universities were largely blindsided. Several only discovered the cancellations after manually checking SEVIS records, as no automated alerts were sent by immigration authorities. Legal experts are sounding the alarm over potential First Amendment and procedural violations, calling the move an apparent crackdown on dissent masked as enforcement.
Compounding the crisis, some students were reportedly detained by ICE, including by masked agents. Others have been told to self-deport or face removal, with little chance to appeal. A lawsuit filed by faculty unions contends the mass revocations violate constitutional protections and the Administrative Procedures Act.
Khanna has urged affected students to come forward for collective legal action as uncertainty looms. For many, the road ahead is filled with fear, litigation, or forced departure.
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