Speeding, shoplifting, protest ties: Minor offences cost Indian students their US visas

Dubai: In a sweeping crackdown that has shaken US campuses, immigration authorities have revoked dozens of student visas held by foreign nationals, including Indian students, Turkish scholars, and recent graduates, at leading institutions such as Harvard, Tufts, and Stanford.

The revocations, many tied to minor infractions or political activism, have led to detentions, self-deportations, and federal lawsuits, sparking outcry from legal experts, universities and human rights advocates, media reports said.

The wave of cancellations — often discovered only after schools notice changes in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) — has affected both current students and alumni. In emails sent by Designated School Officials (DSOs), students were notified that their SEVIS records, Form I-20, and legal presence in the US were no longer valid. They were advised to make prompt arrangements for self-deportation.

According to a Times of India report, dozens of Indian students have been caught in this enforcement dragnet.

The offences leading to visa revocations include traffic violations like speeding, failure to stop at red lights, or driving on a learner’s permit without supervision — alongside resolved cases of shoplifting and alcohol-related incidents.

One Indian student in Texas, arrested for shoplifting items worth $144, had the charges dismissed due to a clean academic record and cooperation with law enforcement — but still received a notice to leave the country.

A Texas-based immigration lawyer, handling 30 similar cases, said that SEVIS terminations for petty offences are rare and advised affected students to seek immediate legal counsel, especially if the incidents occurred over a year ago.

The cancellations have stirred anxiety among Indian students and prompted a surge in inquiries to immigration consultants across the US.

According to the Open Doors Report, more than 332,000 Indian students studied in the US in the 2023–24 academic year.

Several cases appear to be tied not to legal wrongdoing, but to political expression. The Bloomberg report and TOI both highlight the case of Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian scholar who self-deported in March after participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that her student visa was revoked before her voluntary departure.

Similarly, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian conflict studies researcher at Georgetown University, was detained on March 17 after his visa was cancelled based on allegations of antisemitic speech and links to Hamas—claims he denies.

Suri asserts he is being targeted because of his wife’s Palestinian background, and is currently being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.

The US Department of State is now reportedly conducting social media reviews of international students — both enrolled and new applicants. This new layer of scrutiny applies to F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visas. Activists warn that the policy could result in denials based on political views or online speech, further chilling campus activism.

Among the most high-profile cases is Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, who was detained last month while walking on the street. Another is Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate, whose visa was revoked after his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Both are currently held in immigration jails while the government seeks to deport them.

In California, students and alumni from UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, and Stanford have also had their visas revoked.

Two unidentified students have filed federal lawsuits, alleging that the government acted without due process in canceling their visas over minor infractions.

Universities are scrambling to respond. Stanford University reported six visa terminations and stated that it does not share records with immigration authorities unless legally required. Harvard University reported five cancellations—three involving current students and two recent graduates. Additional terminations were confirmed by Dartmouth, Minnesota State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon.

“We are still trying to really get a good handle on what is happening,” said Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, calling the current enforcement effort “more coordinated and broader” than anything seen in recent years.

The crackdown aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to tighten immigration policies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last month that more than 300 student visas had been revoked as part of enhanced oversight.

On April 5, thousands of protesters in dozens of US cities rallied against Trump-era immigration tactics. Organisers cited the cases of Ozturk and Khalil as examples of an alarming erosion of free speech and civil liberties for international students.

With over 1.1 million international students currently in the United States, the situation has cast a chilling effect over campus life and raised concerns about the country’s reputation as a destination for global scholars.