Trump administration revokes almost 80 North Texas student visas
Hundreds of student visas have been revoked across the United States, including almost 80 in North Texas. This comes as the Trump Administration announced new social media screenings for antisemitic activity by students seeking visas and those in the higher education system.
Working overtime
Immigration lawyer Jamie Barron is working seven days a week, helping several university students who had their visas revoked.
"It's a really sad and stressful situation, and the government doesn't tell us a lot of why it's doing this," Barron said.
Defending actions
The White House is defending its actions under a 1952 law.
"It's a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that basically states that, for whatever reason, that if we think you're not compliant, we can make you deportable," Barron said. "It could be, for example, an argument with a roommate, a fight, a DWI, a theft charge, or maybe they did a protest, which is freedom of speech, but they consider it may be harmful for the country."
University confirmations
A spokesperson at the University of Texas at Dallas confirms 19 students had their visas revoked, but didn't give the reasons why. Pro-Palestinian protest at UTD caught national attention last May and resulted in 21 arrests.
The University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington confirm that 27 international students had visas revoked at each institution. Texas Woman's University has six students affected.
"Some are planning to depart the country. Some are planning to maybe go to school in Spain, England, other countries that are a little bit more welcoming right now, and it's really sad because this is severely going to affect the U.S. economy," Barron said.
Coordinating sessions
Texas A&M International Student and Scholar Services has launched a new immigration policy update webpage and is coordinating question-and-answer sessions in light of the news. A spokesperson said this is an "unprecedented situation" affecting nearly all U.S. higher education institutions.
"It creates fear for anybody who's a foreigner," Barron said. "The vast majority are good people that want to follow or create the American dream for themselves."
Barron believes the government is targeting two groups of people.
"It's possibly minor offenses, even if they were found not guilty, or people that are of interest to the government that maybe participated in a protest that doesn't make the government happy," Barron said. "That doesn't make them terrorist or that they did anything illegal, but it's being used against them."
Group releases statement
Human Rights Dallas sent CBS News Texas a statement:
"President Trump's policy to cancel the visas of international students who are deemed supporters of Hamas raises serious First Amendment concerns, especially regarding freedom of speech and political expression. We urge that political, civil society and private sector leaders pay heed.
"Opposing Israeli military actions in Gaza is a form of political speech, which is protected under the First Amendment. Equating all criticism of Israel with support for Hamas blurs the line between legitimate dissent and actual material support for a terrorist organization. That conflation can chill protected speech, especially on college campuses.
"The First Amendment prohibits the government from punishing speech based on its content or viewpoint. Revoking visas based on someone's expressed political beliefs—rather than illegal conduct—amounts to viewpoint discrimination, which courts have consistently ruled unconstitutional.
"Universities are meant to be places of open debate, especially on complex international issues. Policies that threaten students with deportation for voicing controversial opinions undermine that academic environment and discourage international students from engaging in discourse.
"Revoking visas based on vague or subjective criteria like "supporting Hamas" without clear evidence or legal process raises serious due process issues. Non-citizens do have rights under the Constitution, including due process protections before they can be deported.
"In short, the policy is an attack on free speech, academic freedom, and due process—all core democratic values protected by the Constitution."
