Tag Archives: Student and Exchange Visitor Information System

Texas Tribune: UT-Rio Grande Valley students caught in nationwide sweep sue Homeland Security over immigration status

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Four international students at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley are suing the Department of Homeland Security, alleging its recent steps to terminate their legal immigration status based on minor criminal cases that have already been resolved are unlawful and designed to coerce them into leaving the country voluntarily.

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  • Castellanos was given a class C misdemeanor ticket for public intoxication in 2020 and pleaded guilty to failing to yield the right of way when turning left. He paid a fine in 2024.
  • Timilsena was charged in 2024 with “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury” to his wife, a class A misdemeanor. The case was dismissed upon the prosecution’s request.
  • Gholami was charged in October with preventing or interfering with the ability to place an emergency call, a class A misdemeanor. He has not been convicted.
  • Wong was convicted of driving while intoxicated. His conviction was dismissed after he completed a pre-trial diversion program.
UT-Rio Grande Valley students caught in nationwide sweep sue Homeland Security over immigration status
The four students were involved in minor criminal cases that have been resolved, which they argue shouldn’t be used to justify ending their higher ed goals in Texas.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ut-rio-grande-valley-students-caught-in-nationwide-sweep-sue-homeland-security-over-immigration-status/ar-AA1D3Lo6

Texas Tribune: Texas law students warn that bill to quash “terrorist activity” in universities could trample free speech rights

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Law school students and civil rights organizations warned senators on Wednesday that a measure that would require universities to report students accused of supporting terrorist activities to federal authorities could turn their schools into immigration enforcement agencies.

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Everyone who testified before the committee Wednesday was in opposition to the bill. Many said the bill was too vague and could be used to either punish or discourage people from expressing their political views because doing so could be conflated as support for a terrorist organization. Others said it would open the door for universities to monitor and surveil visa-holding students. Some said universities might even have an incentive to do so because the bill also puts their funding at risk.

Texas law students warn that bill to quash “terrorist activity” in universities could trample free speech rights
The bill would require universities to report any visa-holding students who support terrorism, but its vague language could be dangerous, civil rights groups say.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-law-students-warn-that-bill-to-quash-terrorist-activity-in-universities-could-trample-free-speech-rights/ar-AA1D3E7F

LA Times: UCLA international student detained at U.S.-Mexico border amid Trump visa cancellations

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A UCLA international graduate student has been detained at the U.S.-Mexico border and is being held by Customs and Border Protection, the school confirmed late Thursday.

The student, whose name was not released, was taken into custody Wednesday night, according to faculty members and students who quickly organized a campus rally in her support Thursday evening.

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Few details were released about the student, including her name and nationality. Faculty, and an immigration attorney who has been attempting to contact the student, said late Thursday they had not yet spoken to her. They added that the student was detained at the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego and was able to reach a UCLA contact before she was taken into custody.

It is unclear why the student was in Mexico or what led to her detention.

Earlier in April:

On April 4, UC San Diego said an international student there was also detained at the U.S.-Mexico border while attempting to cross. In a campus message, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said the student was “detained at the border, denied entry and deported to their home country.”

UCLA international student detained at U.S.-Mexico border amid Trump visa cancellations
UCLA confirmed that an international student was detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. A campus rally was quickly organized in her support.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-17/ucla-international-student-detained-us-mexico-border

Students’ “Student and Exchange Visitor Information System” records being secretly terminated

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Now there are multiple reports in multiple states of international students having their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records terminated by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) with no notice to either the students or to the schools.

No notice, no hearing, just terminated, and presumably the students will soon be *poof* disappeared as well.

Records for international students at 2 more universities terminated; schools say they weren’t told beforehand

Why has Trump revoked hundreds of international student visas?

Students react to nearly 50 international students’ visas being revoked, records being removed across Utah

118 international students’ immigration statuses revoked across Texas universities

Federal officials are quietly terminating the legal residency of some international college students