Pro-immigration lawyers are trying to block President Donald Trump’s policy of canceling education visas held by more than 1,000 migrants, including many who sign tuition checks to get work permits for the jobs needed by American graduates.
The “terminations are terrible, and we believe quite illegal,” Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-based immigration lawyer, wrote on X.
He continued:
We have filed our Complaint and Motion for a TRO [temporary restraining order]/Preliminary Injunction last evening in the Northern District of Georgia for our first 17 plaintiffs. We will be amending our complaint with likely two hundred more plaintiffs, by Tuesday. There has to be several thousand students affected by this outrageous action by the administration, judging by the number of inquiries we have received.
“At least three #TROs granted yesterday in 3 different courts,” Banias Law, a pro-immigration law firm based in Charleston, South Carolina, posted on X on April 12.
Some of the immigrants who have recently lost their F-1 student visas are foreign graduates and current students of U.S. colleges who stayed to get jobs via the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program.
OPT allows F-1 student visa holders to be employed in America for up to one year after they complete their studies. The program further authorizes foreigners who earn a STEM degree to apply for a two-year OPT extension. Thus, the immigration benefit provides up to three-year work permits for white-collar jobs. OPT is also the major entry point for Indian and Chinese immigrants seeking white-collar jobs via covert ethnic hiring networks that are closed to American graduates. Additionally, the program feeds the H-1B visa outsourcing program.
There has been little American media coverage of the visa withdrawals aside from the media’s focus on the impending deportation of a few showcase “scholars,” such as Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Hamas immigrant who studied at Columbia University. But Democrats are rushing to protest the visa revocations, even though many of the visas are being used to take jobs from younger Democrat voters.
However, Indian media outlets have been spotlighting the growing number of Indian nationals being pushed homewards.
“These sudden revocations have left many students in shock, facing the grim reality of deportation and the invalidation of their legal stay, Form I-20, and Employment Authorization Documents (EAD),” said GG2.net, a news site based in Gujarat province.
The article continued:
According to reports, the visa revocations stem from minor offences such as traffic violations, over-speeding, shoplifting, and alcohol-related charges—many of which were previously resolved through legal channels.
…
Among the impacted students is a Hyderabad native currently studying in Omaha, who revealed he was fined two years ago for speeding in New York but was never arrested. Another student admitted to a DUI (driving under the influence) charge, saying he had followed all court mandates, including installing a car ignition lock and undergoing sobriety checks.
In a more severe case, a Texas-based student was arrested for shoplifting $144 worth of items from Walmart. However, the case was dismissed due to his clean academic record and cooperation. “I followed all legal instructions and thought the matter was behind me. Why am I being punished again?” he asked.
Lawyers and potential deportees are now asking India’s government to block Trump’s policy. Per GG2.net: “As the crackdown unfolds, calls are growing for diplomatic intervention and clearer guidelines for students navigating complex legal systems abroad.”
InsideHigherEd.com reported on April 14 that at least 1,000 visas have been revoked:
Most college officials say they’re unsure of why foreign-born students had their legal residency status terminated or have yet to receive formal notification of the changes. A majority have yet to receive any communications from immigration authorities.
Many U.S. media outlets are posting sympathetic coverage of local cases.
“The Trump administration has so far revoked the legal status of more than 70 international students and recent graduates at Michigan’s universities as part of an unannounced and unexplained national push to force deportations,” BridgeMI.com reported on April 14.
The website added:
“You’ve heard of win, win, win (a popular Trump refrain). This is lose, lose, lose,” said Dan Hurley, chief executive officer of the Michigan Association of State Universities. “It’s a loss for students, it’s a loss for institutions. It’s a loss for the Michigan economy.”
“Visiting America is not an entitlement,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in an op-ed for Fox News on April 12. “It is a privilege extended to those who respect our laws and values. And, as Secretary of State, I will never forget that.”
Roughly 50 foreign current students or recent graduates at Arizona State University are reportedly losing their visas.
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