Charles Conant

President Trump’s administration has implemented a dramatic shift in immigration policy, affecting many international students – including four here at Oakland University facing threats of deportation.

According to Bridge Michigan, more than 70 students at universities across Michigan have lost their legal status to study and reside in the U.S. This includes 22 students at the University of Michigan, 12 at Wayne State University and 12 at Michigan State University. Ten of the 15 public universities in Michigan have confirmed students who have lost their legal status.

As of now, four OU students are facing deportation. One student was detained at Blue Water Bridge – a bridge at the southern end of Lake Huron, a border port between the United States and Canada, according to Rosemary Max, executive director of Global Engagement.

The other three students are considered “system terminations.”

The names of these students have not been released by Oakland University.

Here’s what we know:

• The students come from four different countries: South Sudan, China, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. 
• Three are graduate students and one is an undergraduate student.
• Two are engineering students, one is a communication student and the other is a general studies student.

“South Sudan was for no reason at all other than over last weekend the U.S. government, I believe on Saturday, immediately declared South Sudan ineligible for visas. The others have minor charges (no convictions) that were dismissed by a judge,” Max said in an email response forwarded to The Post.

The U.S. has revoked visas for those holding South Sudanese passports and has also barred future entries of those traveling from the country. 

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this change was a result of actions of South Sudan’s transitional government.

“It is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the United States. Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,” Rubio said.

“As South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle, effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.”

Max emphasized the lack of rationale in this decision.

“So those are the technical reasons but we don’t understand the rationale of doing this when Secretary of State Rubio has stated the reason for this is to eliminate people who are a danger to our country. None of these students are even remotely a danger to our country, our state…,” Max said in an email response forwarded to The Post.

In reaction to these actions, on April 10 the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) sued the Trump administration. The lawsuit is asking the court to reinstate the legal status of international students in Michigan so they will be able to complete their studies and avoid the risk of deportation.

“The ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit today, along with a request for an emergency injunction, on behalf of four international students attending Michigan universities who have had their F-1 student immigration status unlawfully and abruptly terminated by the Trump administration for no valid reason and without notice,” the statement said.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, international students can enter the U.S. on an F-1 or M-1 visa category. To meet this requirement, students must be enrolled in an academic educational program and be approved by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Revoking the visa means that it is no longer valid and cannot be used for reentry into the U.S. Revocation occurs when the terms of a visa is violated or in this instance — at the discretion of the U.S. government. 

“The Trump administration’s sudden revocation of the visas and immigration status of hundreds of university students across the country, including at least six public universities here in Michigan, is the latest in a series of executive actions targeting immigrants and academic institutions.  As the ACLU’s lawsuit highlights, international students form a vital community at our state’s universities, and unilaterally stripping students of their status violates the law,” the ACLU said.

Additionally, the lawsuit highlights two key points. First, the termination of F-1 visas violates the students’ rights with respect to due process. Essentially, the government is required to provide “advance notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond when taking such action.” 

“At the most elemental level, the United States Constitution requires notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard,” the lawsuit said. “Due process entitles noncitizens to ‘notice that is reasonably calculated, under the circumstances, to apprise interested parties of the pendency of the action and afford them an opportunity to present their objections.’”

Secondly, the ACLU emphasized the need for an explanation for termination.

“DHS [Department of Homeland Security] did not provide the students or their schools any meaningful explanation for terminating their F-1 student status. At most, what seems to connect students targeted by this newfound and unlawful policy is that the students had some encounter with some American law enforcement official at some point in the past, no matter how innocuous—including receiving a speeding or parking ticket (or even a warning) or lawfully withdrawing an application to enter the United States,” the lawsuit said.

Outside of the Office of International Education, OU has not released any additional information.