US reverses foreign students visa revocation, status being restored
Thousands of international students can breathe a sigh of relief. The reactivation follows widespread protests and the courts in 23 States restraining the Government, ruling the revocations as arbitrary. The SEVIS records of about 4,700 international students were terminated in the last few months. The Trump administration's reason for packing off international students was pro-Palestinian campus protests, anti-semitism or support to Hamas. However, in many cases the reasons were other minor offences like not wearing seat belt, illegal parking, overspeeding and even domestic violence.
WASHINGTON, Apr 25: The Trump administration has reversed its unpopular student
visa revocation policy following widespread protests and lawsuits. Many of the
students have already received messages of reactivation of their visas by Friday,
although temporary.
Thousands of international students had their immigration status terminated
based on adverse reports appearing on a database and records terminated from
the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). When the records
are deleted from SEVIS they are technically no longer in the country legally.
The SEVIS record shows the immigration status.
Many had filed lawsuits and several others had opted to self-deport in frustration.
There was chaos among the student community over the Trump administration's
so-called penal action without rhyme or reason, almost upending the American
education system. Judges in 23 States retrained the Government and ruled the
revocations as arbitrary.
Termination of SEVIS records leads to visa revocation, loss of employment
authorization and deportation proceedings.
The SEVIS records of about 4,700 international students were terminated since
the last few months. The Trump administration's reason for packing off international
students was pro-Palestinian campus protests, anti-Semitism or support to Hamas.
Immigration officers had even begun detaining and deporting students accused
of these offences.
However, in many cases the reasons also related to minor other offences like
not wearing seat belt, illegal parking, over speeding and even domestic violence.
In fact, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had no legal basis for
removing the students from the SEVIS.
The ICE said it is developing a new policy that will provide a framework for
SEVIS record terminations, applying a temporary brake on the current terminations.
The impact of the change taking place on cases of Tufts University doctoral
student Rumeysa Ozturk and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil detained
on security issues is not known.
It is widely criticized that Trump's attack on legal immigration was an attempt
to stifle political dissent.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had paused deactivation
of student files and would restore the SEVIS records for the time being. But
an official reportedly denied the news.
Terminated records become active
The reinstatement follows the SEVIS records being restored. Students and universities
found that the terminated status has become active in many cases. It is learnt
the DHS is also reactivating SEVIS in cases where these international students
have not sued. The agency is reportedly backing off.
Twelve students at UC Berkeley, for instance, had their visa status restored
on Friday out of 23 terminated since April 4.
A Seattle-based attorney, Jay Gairson to WP, contrary to a conflicting DHS
statement that SEVIS status was not restored for people with revoked visas,
he has two clients whose visas were revoked and their SEVIS statuses were reinstated
Friday.
Hundreds of students had filed lawsuits challenging their visa revocation.
and courts in several States had handed out restraining orders. Indian students
were affected the most by the abrupt SEVIS terminations. Thousands of visas
of foreign students were revoked since March due to campus activism.
There were 1.1 million foreign students in the US during the last academic
year.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)
ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.
Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?
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