Eight international students and 16 graduate students who have had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminated, according to a statement SEMO President Carlos Vargas sent to faculty members on Thursday, April 17.
The termination of SEVIS can often lead to deportation.
“A terminated record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) could indicate that the non-immigrant no longer maintains" legal status to be in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The reasons behind the terminations were stated as “lower-level offenses, municipal violations or ‘other’”, according to Vargas’ statement to staff.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, when a student’s SEVIS is terminated, “that student loses all on- and on-/off-campus employment authorization; the student cannot re-enter the US on the terminated SEVIS record; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may investigate to confirm the departure of the student; any associated F-2 or M-2 dependent records are terminated.”
F-2 and M-2 dependent records are related to the legal status of spouses and children of the visa holder. F-1 and M-1 visas are related to students.
A student who spoke on the condition of anonymity said some of the students were working off campus, which led to the violations. They also said ICE agents were involved and that some of the students were from India and Bangladesh.
Vargas' statement claimed the university encouraged the students whose SEVIS was terminated to contact immigration lawyers.
“I know this is a challenging environment. We have assured our international students that they are valued members of our SEMO community, and we will continue to provide them with information and academic support,” Vargas stated.
Higher Education reported that more than 300 colleges nationwide have had deportations, and over 1,300 students have been deported. Multiple of these are in Missouri and include the University of Missouri, Northwestern Missouri State University, Drury University, Lindenwood University and Park University.
This story was originally published by The Southeast Arrow, a student run news publication, and news partner with KRCU Public Radio.
