St. Cloud State students visa record terminated in recent incidents
International student rights incidents in MN
Several cases now involve students in Minnesota who could face deportation. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the latest
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Cloud State University (SCSU) spokesperson said several international students recently had their records terminated by the federal government.
However, the reasons for the termination are not exactly clear at this time.
Unprecedented process
What we know:
According to SCSU, two students had their records terminated by the federal government from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) - the database that provides proof of legal status and good standing.
The university said it was not made aware of the terminations ahead of time.
What they're saying:
A legal expert based in the St. Cloud area tells FOX 9 that the process was unusual.
He said typically, if an international student fails to meet requirements to maintain status, the school would be involved in initiating any actions necessary.
"It seems the process has been reversed where it’s the State Department that decided who is fit to enter, and I understand that’s their right as the issuer of their visa, but also who to kick out and the reasons are not obvious to us who have served that process," said Yasin Alsaidi, deputy director at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid.
When recently asked about student visa incidents on college campuses across the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration has been consistent on its reasons behind immigration policy.
"The overwhelming majority of student visas in this country will not be revoked, because the overwhelming majority of people that are coming to this country to study are not involved and associated or aligned with organizations that seek to do damage in this country," Rubio has previously said.
What's next:
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), once a SEVIS record is terminated, the student loses all employment authorization, cannot re-enter the United States on the terminated SEVIS record, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may investigate to confirm the departure of the student, and any associated F-2 or M-2 dependent records are terminated.
The university said it is unable to share student details, but said it is working with those impacted.
The Source: St. Cloud State University, Department of Homeland Security.