After three international students had their SEVIS statuses cancelled, a federal reversal is reinstating their legality within the United States.
On Friday, April 11, the college was notified that the current Augustana students had their SEVIS standings terminated, effective immediately, putting students at risk of deportation.
SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems database, manages the statuses of international students’ visas through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). After first obtaining their student visas, the legal statuses of international students are overseen through DHS’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
In order to maintain their SEVIS compliance, students are required to maintain their full course load and comply with U.S. immigration regulations.
However, some students are now being targeted for previous legal infractions, and even activist involvement.
“If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference in Guyana. “If you lie to us and get a visa and then enter the United States and with that visa participate in that sort of activity, we’re going to take away your visa.”
According to Inside Higher Ed, more than 1,800 international students across the nation have had their legal status changed since March.
Augustana students were notified of the departures in a school-wide email from President Andrea Talentino on Wednesday, April 23.
“You may have heard that three students recently received SEVIS termination notices related to their visa status,” Talentino said in the email. “While the decisions came from outside the college, their impact is deeply felt here.”
On Monday, April 28, the SEVIS statuses of all three students were reinstated, according to Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Brand Communication Irene Borys.
“Throughout this process, Augustana College has worked closely with the affected students to ensure they had access to information, resources, and support as they navigated this complex situation,” Borys said in a statement to the Observer. “While SEVIS reactivation is a positive development, we cannot share details about individual student circumstances due to privacy laws.”
According to a federal court filing in the Massachusetts District Court, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is currently working to provide a formal framework for SEVIS termination.
While the reversal brings optimism for some, the future of the previously affected statuses remains murky.
