On April 4, Jelena Liu, a graduate student at IU Indianapolis, had her Service ID wrongfully revoked with no warning from the Student and Exchange Visitors Information System (SEVIS) record system. “I was checking my email box and I got a surprise gift,” Liu said. Liu is not an isolated case. Five more students from Purdue University, one student from Ivy Tech and one student from the University of Notre Dame have had their visas revoked.
Liu received an email at 7 a.m. from the Office of International Affairs (OIA) at IU Indianapolis telling her her F1 visa was being revoked. The details of the decision were not specified in the email.
“I got an email from my advisor who told me my Service ID was being canceled by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and advised me to get a lawyer,” said Liu.
The reason why her visa was revoked is still a mystery.
“Everything happened suddenly, the government didn't explain much and the school doesn't know why,” Liu said.
As a result of the many student visas being revoked, on April 15, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Custom Enforcement on behalf of the affected college students, due to a violation of the Fifth Amendment.
“There is no rhyme or reason for DHS’s action. To terminate an international student’s status, the U.S. government must adhere to regulatory standards and provide basic due process, which it has failed to do,” The ACLU said.
The Department of Homeland Security cited the reason was due to criminal felonies the college students committed. The felonies being speeding tickets, criminal trespassing, underage drinking and domestic violence charges. According to CNN, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Trivia McLaughlin, stated that an F1 visa is a privilege.
“When you advocate for violence and terrorism or break our laws that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country,” McLaughlin said.
The ACLU claims a criminal record with minor offenses does not automatically allow visa revocation. As a result, the ACLU claims the Department of Homeland Security has violated students rights. However,some students such as Liu didn't commit any minor offense. “No, I didn’t commit no crime, everything happened for no reason,” Liu said.
According to Mirror Indy, “Once the visas are revoked we have very little we can do to support them directly,” said IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand.
F1 visa permits international students a legal stay in the U.S. If their visa is revoked, students may not be able to come back to the U.S. Graduate students are being asked to leave everything behind in this country , without the opportunity to finish their academic degrees.
The ACLU appealed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in an attempt to allow students to stay in the U.S. and keep their international immigrant legal status while the lawsuit is happening. However, the court denied the petition forcing college students to leave the country without the benefit of due process.
Liu has had their visa revoked in the past.
“When I was an undergraduate student my visa used to be revoked because at that time I was changing majors, I dropped too many courses for being considered an F1 visa,” Liu said.
Graduate students that got their visas revoked are being affected directly. Liu had commented, “I was focusing on my visa status so my spring semester was totally screwed up.”
The fear of being deported is paralyzing college students, causing it to dominate their lives. “The impact of these students' lives is profound, and now they live in fear of being deported at any moment,” said Ken Falk, legal director of Indiana’s ACLU.
Purdue, IU and Notre Dame have offered their support to students. As of April 16, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition at the University of Bloomington has committed to helping international students who have lost their legal status to continue pursuing their degrees.
“IU is going to let me graduate early, my professors marked my classes incomplete which means I can go back and finish it and my advisor told me, if I have to flee the US, I will be able to finish online,” said Liu.
For more information about college students' visa revocations visit Mirror Indy, Indiana Daily Student and WFYI Indy.
Cristina Bueno is a double major in anthropology and journalism, and she is a current Copy Editor for The Campus Citizen. In her free time she likes to bake.
OPINION: Passing of HR-1 and cuts to state degree programs make higher education less attainable than ever
By Abby Godsen | July 11Over the last few months, higher education has had major hits both on the state and national levels. With cuts to state funding, financial aid and programs offered, higher education has become less attainable than ever for Hoosiers.
IU expands research and STEM labs on IU Indianapolis campus
By Abby Godsen | June 11IU Indianapolis and Purdue in Indianapolis have both started many new construction projects in the last year. Most notably, the new Purdue in Indianapolis Academic Success building is being built across from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering building, as well as the James T. Morris Arena behind Herron. Now, a new IU STEM Laboratory building is also being constructed on the main campus.
Paul Mullins: A tribute
By Lukas Tunis | May 23The first impression one will feel when looking at the work of Professor Paul Mullins is that they have a lot to learn about the history of Indianapolis. Mullins’ life’s work was done in service to his community and the people around him. As a historical archaeologist, his passion (and much of his ...
