SEVIS purge sparks outrage as US strips authorized standing from 118 worldwide college students in Texas

A rising wave of immigration standing revocations has swept throughout a number of Texas universities, affecting at the very least 118 worldwide college students. The removals have sparked confusion, concern, and outrage amongst college students, school, and immigration attorneys, as authorized statuses are being terminated with out clear explanations or prior discover.
Based on college officers and media studies, college students from outstanding establishments together with the College of North Texas, College of Texas at Dallas, Texas A&M College, and others have had their information faraway from the Pupil and Change Customer Data System, or SEVIS. The affect of those removals is quick and extreme, putting affected college students in authorized jeopardy and forcing them to hunt pressing authorized treatments or go away the US altogether.
College students affected throughout main TEXAS campuses
As of April 11, 2025, the next numbers have been confirmed by universities:

*UTEP figures reported by KFOX14. Different knowledge confirmed by college officers and reported by The Texas Tribune.
Moreover, the College of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) had 10 college students whose visas had been revoked, as reported by KFOX14. The College of Texas at Austin and the College of Houston additionally confirmed to the Houston Chronicle that a few of their worldwide college students skilled adjustments of their immigration standing, although actual figures weren’t disclosed.
Elimination from SEVIS carries harsh penalties
Whereas visa revocations forestall reentry into the US, elimination from SEVIS represents a extra quick and disruptive change, successfully ending a scholar’s authorized standing. Based on immigration legal professional Robert Hoffman, this sort of termination can even affect a scholar’s work eligibility and the authorized residency of dependents, comparable to spouses and youngsters. “Sadly, these sorts of terminations type of short-circuit due course of by not permitting the scholar the chance to listen to the specifics of their fees or defend themselves,” Hoffman stated, as quoted by The Texas Tribune.
Legal professional Phillip Rodriguez, additionally based mostly in Bryan, Texas, defined that college students faraway from SEVIS have restricted choices. They’ll both depart the US voluntarily or apply for reinstatement, a course of made considerably more durable by the SEVIS elimination itself.
Universities verify circumstances however provide few particulars
The College of North Texas, one of many state’s largest establishments for worldwide college students, confirmed that 27 college students had been affected. A college spokesperson said that 19 of those college students had been graduate-level, in line with The Texas Tribune. Throughout an April 10 School Senate assembly at UNT, Vice Chair William Joyner stated he was knowledgeable by the provost that 16 college students had their SEVIS standing eliminated. That quantity was later up to date to 27 by college representatives. “We all know nothing aside from this, and I’m not keen to invest,” Joyner stated, as reported by The Texas Tribune.
The College of Texas at Dallas additionally verified that 19 of its college students had their immigration statuses terminated. In an announcement shared with The Texas Tribune, UTD stated, “This can be a fluid state of affairs, and we’re speaking with affected college students in regards to the adjustments of their standing as quickly as doable.”
Federal authorities ties purge to protest monitoring
Whereas federal companies haven’t disclosed how college students had been chosen for SEVIS elimination, the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) issued an announcement on April 10 indicating that it might start monitoring the social media accounts of worldwide college students for content material deemed “antisemitic.” The DHS referenced two government orders from former President Donald Trump aimed toward curbing what the administration referred to as “the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets,” citing latest pro-Palestine demonstrations at a number of US universities, together with some in Texas.
Among the many campuses which have seen latest protest exercise are the College of Texas at Dallas and the College of North Texas, suggesting doable hyperlinks between scholar activism and immigration enforcement, although no official connection has been confirmed.
Worldwide college students left in authorized limbo
UNT and UTD are among the many main Texas universities by way of worldwide scholar enrollment. UNT hosts greater than 8,000 worldwide college students—most on the graduate stage—whereas UTD has a inhabitants of over 4,500, in line with college knowledge. The latest removals have despatched shockwaves via these communities, leaving affected college students scrambling for solutions and authorized assist.
Legal professional Hoffman advised The Texas Tribune that SEVIS removals are extra damaging than visa cancellations as a result of they create a authorized grey space. “I feel they’re proactively making it in order that they principally cannot proceed research, or making it extraordinarily tough to proceed their research right here in the US with out some type of intervention,” he stated.
As authorized specialists and college officers work to know the complete scope of the SEVIS purge, college students stay unsure about their future in the US. With restricted steering from federal companies and few avenues for enchantment, the state of affairs underscores broader tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and campus political exercise within the present US local weather.