Trump administration resumes issuance of visas for foreign student scholars located in the Fort Worth region.
The Trump administration recently performed an about-face on the international students from Tarrant County whose visas were rescinded in early April. Institutions like the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Wesleyan University, and Tarrant County College received this update on the 29th of April. This decision affects 27 students from UTA, 5 students from TCC, and 2 from Texas Wesleyan.
Joe Carpenter, UTA's spokesperson, commented, "This situation remains fluid, and the UTA Office of International Education is working closely with all affected students to keep them informed about their individual statuses and to help meet their specific needs."
Texas Wesleyan President Emily Messer had previously informed the community that the university was in direct contact with the students impacted. Despite the reversal, Wesleyan plans to continue communicating with students, according to spokesperson Karen Cantrell. "We're staying in touch with those students. Our international admissions team is reaching out to them to offer support," she said.
Unfortunately, TCC did not provide updated figures by publication time.
The administration reversed its position during a court hearing last week, possibly as a response to numerous lawsuits filed by current and former students holding student visas. Two former UTA students were part of one such lawsuit, according to The Texas Tribune. In certain instances, minor traffic violations were the reason for the visa revocations, while other cases showed no apparent justification.
UTA houses the third-largest international student population in the state, based on data from Open Doors. A recent crackdown, in which more than 250 students were affected across Texas, apparently forced some of these students to confront similar issues.
Students across Texas were shocked to find out in early April that their visas had been revoked or their immigration status had been terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database.
Shomial Ahmad serves as a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, working in partnership with Open Campus. You can reach her at [email protected].
The Fort Worth Report's editorial decisions are independent of our board members and financial supporters. More about our editorial independence policy can be found here.
This article originally appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
General insights:In some instances, visa revocations can stem from legal issues like driving under the influence, as well as broader federal crackdowns potentially linked to on-campus activities or unspecified criteria. Inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database could also lead to visa revocations. These general reasons may apply to the events of April 2021, though specific details are not available.
- The Trump administration recently performed a reversal on the international student visas that were rescinded in early April, following a court hearing last week.
- The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Wesleyan University, and Tarrant County College have been updated on this decision, which affects 27 students from UTA, 5 students from TCC, and 2 from Texas Wesleyan.
- Joe Carpenter, UTA's spokesperson, stated that the Office of International Education is working closely with all affected students to keep them informed about their individual statuses and to help meet their specific needs.
- Texas Wesleyan President Emily Messer mentioned that the university was in direct contact with the students impacted, and despite the reversal, Wesleyan plans to continue communicating with students for support.
- Shomial Ahmad, a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, reported that a recent crackdown on international students across Texas led to similar issues for some students.
- General insights suggest that visa revocations can stem from legal issues, federal crackdowns linked to on-campus activities or unspecified criteria, and inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database, possibly applying to the events of April 2021.
