- Friday, May 02, 2025
The Indian-origin Congresswoman claims there is an all out attack on student visa holders, and not just those who are politically active
By: India Weekly
INDIAN-ORIGIN Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has expressed concern over Donald Trump administration’s recent cancellation of student visas and described it as ‘heavy-handed’ and ‘politically motivated’.
In a letter to the Trump administration, signed by more than 130 fellow Democrats, Jayapal has sought information regarding the number of student visas revoked and the grounds on which their legal status is being withdrawn.
For many students, this has happened just weeks before their graduation, and Jayapal pointed out that the affected students face an uncertain future.
Though the government recently decided to restore some of the revoked visas in the federal database, the matter is far from resolved.
Some students are still in immigration detention, and there are fears that more visa revocations will take place in the future, she pointed out in her letter.
These abrupt status changes have triggered almost 100 lawsuits nationwide, as students attempt to get their legal status restored.
“This appears to be an attack on student visa holders writ-large, and not just on those who hold policy positions with which the administration disagrees,” Jayapal wrote in her letter.
The letter is directed to two government agencies: the Department of State, which can cancel visas, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which can detain or deport students whose visas have been cancelled.
Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District and is the first Indian-American woman elected to the US House of Representatives.
She is also the ranking member of the subcommittee on immigration integrity, security, and enforcement.
There are reports that the Trump Administration is expanding the ways to strip international students of their legal status to stay and study in the country.
Attorneys for international students claim the new policy allows for quicker deportations and serves to justify many of the actions the government took to cancel foreign students’ permission to study in the US.
Now, if a student’s visa is cancelled for some reason, they will lose the right to continue their studies or job in the US.
As per earlier rule, once a visa is revoked, the students are generally allowed to stay in the US to finish school.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has terminated SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records of as many as 4,736 international students since January 20, 2025.
A majority of them are Indians, while Chinese, Nepalese, South Korean, and Bangladeshi students have also been targeted.
SEVIS is a legal document that stores data of an immigrant and proves their legal status.
Schools use SEVIS to provide legally required information about international students to the government.
If it is terminated, a student can no longer have valid F-1 non-immigrant status.
They also lose the legal status to continue their study or work under the Optional Practical Training program in the US
