6 April 24-April 30, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | FASCISM MINUS THE FANFARE Trump & Co. quietly revoke visa status of 18 FIU students. BY ALEX DELUCA T he Trump administration has abruptly terminated the F-1 visa statuses of nearly 20 Florida In- ternational University (FIU) stu- dents. University spokesperson Madeline Baró confirms to New Times that 18 FIU students had their F-1 visa status, which allows international students to live and study in the United States, stripped by the federal government between March 25 and April 10. Baró says 11 are current students and seven are recent graduates on Optional Prac- tical Training (OPT), a period during which students with F-1 status are permitted by the government to receive practical training to complement their field of study. While Baró declined to explain why the students’ visas were terminated, citing stu- dent privacy laws, she confirmed on Wednes- day the university isn’t aware of any cases where students have lost their F-1 visas due to their participation in protests. FIU is among dozens of universities na- tionwide where students have recently had their F-1 visas revoked or their student status terminated by the U.S. government — often without clear explanations. As of Wednesday, more than 1,300 students and recent gradu- ates had their legal status changed by the U.S. Department of State, according to Inside Higher Ed. Jacksonville-based immigration attorney Ashwin Sharma explains that although many people use the terms “visa” and “status” in- terchangeably, there’s an important distinc- tion. For students already in the U.S., maintain- ing F-1 status — by following rules like enroll- ing full-time and maintaining a specified GPA — is far more important than the visa itself. “Once you’re in the U.S., the visa becomes mostly irrelevant unless you depart and at- tempt to re-enter,” Sharma explains. “That’s why a visa revocation doesn’t necessarily im- pact you immediately if you’re already main- taining status inside the country.” He adds, “If you’re following the rules, you remain in lawful status, even if the visa in your passport is later revoked.” If a student’s status is terminated from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), they typically must either apply for reinstatement or leave the U.S. im- mediately. While neither the university nor govern- ment officials have made it clear how students are being targeted, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to track down inter- national students and deport them for taking part in protests against the war in Gaza. In some cases, immigration officials have arrested international students for their in- volvement in pro-Palestinian causes (includ- ing the high-profile case of recent Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil). Other students, however, have been arrested over legal violations, such as speeding or driving under the influence, which often occurred years earlier. Last May, FIU students set up a “liberated zone” on campus in solidarity with Palestin- ians in Gaza. Roughly two dozen students re- portedly attended the demonstration organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at FIU. On April 10, the Miami Herald reported growing concern among student activists at FIU following reports of international stu- dents being detained nationwide. Some stu- dents say organizers have advised them to avoid activism-related events, while others are reportedly scrubbing their social media accounts. “We have advised them that, unfortu- nately, due to current legislation and the cur- rent political climate, that for their protection it is best to not attend anything that could put themselves at risk,” Bayan Abedulazis, presi- dent of FIU’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, told the Herald. According to FIU’s website, 3,500 interna- tional students from more than 140 nations are enrolled at the public university, which is the state’s second-largest by enrollment and operates two main campuses in Miami-Dade. FIU isn’t the only university in Florida where students have suddenly lost their abil- ity to remain on U.S. soil. On Thursday, the Independent Florida Alligator reported that | METRO | Pro-Palestinian students protest at Florida International University Photo by Isabella Canizares
