In a widening immigration crackdown, 53 international students at four Texas universities have had their legal status terminated, raising urgent concerns over due process and federal surveillance tied to campus protests and social media activity.
A growing federal crackdown on campus activism and online speech has resulted in the deportation of 53 international students from four Texas institutions in recent days.
The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) reported that 19 students had been deleted from SEVIS, the federal database that tracks international students in the U.S. In contrast, UNT recorded 27 removals. Similar measures affected three and four students at Texas Tech University and Texas Woman's University (TWU).
Immigration attorneys say these removals are harsher than visa revocations. While a revoked visa precludes return, SEVIS removal immediately removes a student's legal status, affecting their right to stay and work and their dependents' immigration status.
“Unfortunately, these kinds of terminations kind of short-circuit due process by not allowing the student to hear the specifics of their charges or defend themselves,” said Houston-Bryan immigration attorney Robert Hoffman.
Though the DHS said Wednesday that it would begin checking overseas students' social media accounts for “antisemitic” information, the exact criteria for these removals are unknown. The decision follows two executive orders announced by President Donald Trump in response to a “explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets.” UTD and UNT have held pro-Palestinian rallies.
On Wednesday, UNT Faculty Senate Vice Chair William Joyner said the administration initially verified 16 SEVIS removals but amended them to 27. Joyner stated, “We know nothing other than this, and I am not willing to speculate.”
UTD authorities confirmed their actions and said they were working with the impacted students, but they would not disclose more details.
Recent visa and status revocations mirror similar ones at UT Austin and Texas A&M University, when students were surprised by immigration changes.
“These are young people trying to get an education and contribute to society,” Hoffman said. “Seeing their status stripped away without explanation is deeply troubling.”
Texas has nearly 76,000 international students, one of the largest in the U.S. Immigration attorneys and university officials are concerned about the long-term effects of politically driven enforcement.
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