At least 17 international students and recent graduates from the University of Utah have revoked their visas – receiving letters from the administration of President Donald Trump asking them to “self -partner”.
The flagship school of the State revealed the number for the first time on Tuesday, confirming that the revocations began at the beginning of last week and continued throughout the weekend, stimulating confusion and fear. This is one of the biggest accounts, so far, for a single university since the federal government began its efforts nationally to end the status of legal residence of students.
A spokesperson for the Weber State University in Ogden confirmed that five other students have also seen their visas dismissed. And Snow College in the center of Utah reported two students.
In total, around 300 visas for international students and recent graduates were dismissed across the country, according to an announcement by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. These are extended in private schools, such as Harvard University, in public schools, such as Ohio State University and the University of California system.
According to a copy obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune of a letter sent to students of the U., he indicates: “Staying in the United States without a lawful immigration status can lead to fines, detention and / or deportation. It can also make you ineligible for a future American visa.
He also says that the student, if he is expelled, may be sent somewhere who is not their country of origin. He advises them to leave voluntarily and later reapply for a new visa.
The platform contacted each of the eight of the state’s eight colleges and universities to understand the impact in Utah. Tuesday evening, only the United States, the state of Weber and the snow had provided counts, putting the total at 24 for the state.
About half of the students affected in the United States are from China; the others in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Some are first -year students. Weber State and Snow did not immediately have more information.
READ. is likely to be the most affected in the state by federal efforts to target international student visas. The school has the largest number of international students registered, with 3 138 years last fall, as well as the highest percentage overall, international students representing 9% of the student population.
This is largely because the United States is recruiting the world for its renowned medical and research programs – which have also been at the center of financing by the Trump administration.
Weber’s state has 832 international students, landing around 3% of its total registration. There are around 300 international students in Snow, for 5% of the student body.
The gallery also contacted the two main private state schools – Brigham Young University and Westminster University. Byu did not respond immediately, but a spokesperson for Westminster said that the school had been in contact with its international students and “to our knowledge, we have no students whose visas were revoked”. There are around 75 international students at Small Salt Lake City School.
Overall, there are more than 9,000 international students combined in the 10 main public and private higher public education establishments.
Students affected in the United States at this stage are a mixture of undergraduate students and higher cycles, as well as recent graduates, with F-1 visas; There are 3,733 in total linked to the school which could be affected. The university is not aware of any employee researcher who has revoked their visas; There are about 370 people with these J-1 visas there.
Like most schools, the United States also ignores what stimulates decisions. Most affected students do not have a criminal record. Some have had traffic offenses. Another was arrested and accused of trying to climb a Closing at Dugway Proving Ground; The gallery could not immediately obtain more information on this case.
Apart from that, there does not seem to be direct cause. Some of the letters that have been released only lists reason such as “having failed to maintain the status”.
The Trump administration targeted students from the country who participated in a wave of pro-Palestine demonstrations last spring. This included the detention of a student from Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, who is a green card holder And who led demonstrations on his campus. And Rubio ordered staff to paint through publications on social networks for all that is pro-Palestine and Anti-Israel to find cases.
In the United States, no case seems to be linked to the demonstration and to the campus later on the campus last April, where the police came with riot equipment and 21 people were finally arrested. No one has been charged.
The international international and university services of the school contact each student affected individually to support them. The office has also sent resources, generally, to all international students, with information on how to stay in order and the legal resources to contact, if necessary.
He says: “We are committed to keeping you informed and supporting when we sail these changes together.”
The office also recommends that all international students carry copies of their I-94 file, their visa documentation and their passport stamps with them at any time.
Staff indicate that students do not leave the country if they don’t need them. “Although there are no current travel prohibitions, new travel restrictions or policy changes can be implemented with little or no warning, which could affect your ability to return to the United States,” notes the message.
The United States has also offered consulting services for those who have been afflicted by the situation. And its international services office can be adopted at international@utah.edu or 801-581-8876.
Students here and across the country have all revoked their visas and files in the information system information system and exchange, or Sevis, at the end. This system is maintained by the American department of internal security and immigration and the application of customs, allowing federal officers to know if a student has legal status.
Students must meet a series of requirements to obtain a visa. This includes admission to an American school, submitting a request and being questioned. They must also show that they have financial support for their studies and stay in a good university position.
Visas can generally be dismissed if a student does not maintain his full -time registration status, violates work agreements or is considered a security risk.
In the past, when a student’s visa has been dismissed, he remained in the SEVIS system and was authorized to finish his studies before leaving the country.
The Trump administration, however, discreetly crossed this additional SEVIS termination step, with little notice to the schools on which the students’ files were terminated. Schools now follow the system themselves so that they can inform students if their status has changed.
Trump also asked immigration agents that they could enter into previous “sensitive locations”, such as schools and hospitals, to make arrests.
A group of students in the United States, Mecha – which is widely led by and for colored students – organized the pro -Palestine event on campus last spring. The members attended the school board meeting on Tuesday to ask school to become a “sanctuary campus”, not authorizing immigration agents to make a foothold there. A petition that accompanies it has collected more than 1,000 signatures.
As a public institution, however, the school cannot legally prevent federal officers from entering its land. On its website explaining recent federal changes, the United States notes, however, that its officers “do not agree with ice and do not expect to be called upon to enforce the immigration law”.
