Immigration and Customs Enforcement has revoked the student visas of four University at Buffalo students and nine recent graduates.
While the university does not have information about every case, in the cases it has details about, the basis for revocation appears to be traffic offenses, a university official told The Buffalo News.
The 13 F-1 visa holders had their records in the Exchange Visitor Information System “unexpectedly terminated” in the last week by ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, the university said in a news release.
Student visa revocations have come in recent days at colleges and universities nationwide, according to various media reports.
“While it is unclear at this time the exact reason for each visa revocation and status termination, the actions appear to be consistent with a recent change in enforcement approach by the U.S. State Department, which recently stated that it will have zero tolerance for non-citizens, including student visa holders, who violate U.S. laws, indicating that visa holders who break the law may face status termination,” the university said in a statement released Tuesday night.
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A News reporter sent an email seeking further details to the ICE Office of Public Affairs at 8:16 a.m. Wednesday. The office sent an automatic reply that said “a press team member will respond to your query as soon as possible.” The Public Affairs Office had not responded by 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
The university’s International Student Services office is helping the current and former students, the university said, including recommending they consider retaining a private immigration attorney.
UB representatives have told the students that they are required to leave the country “as they are now out of status.”
In a message to the university community, Provost A. Scott Weber and Vice Provost Nojin Kwak outlined steps that the university is taking to support international students.
“We understand that this is a deeply distressing time for our international and wider campus community,” they said. “With that understanding, UB will always remain steadfast in our commitment to be a welcoming, inclusive and global scholarly community.”
Officials at SUNY Buffalo State University were not aware of any student visas being revoked, a spokesperson said.
Reach Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602.
