Immigration officials terminate some UNM international student records

The federal government terminated the records of several University of New Mexico international students amid reports of the revocation of hundreds of student visas across the country.

The Student & Exchange Visitor Information System is a federal tracking system for nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. A “handful” of UNM students had their SEVIS records terminated recently, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. The termination of a SEVIS record does not necessarily mean a student’s visa was revoked, but there is often overlap between the two actions.

UNM did not release the number of students whose SEVIS records were terminated, though at least 10 student visas have been terminated at other universities in the state, according to the Albuquerque Journal. UNM is trying to limit any information that could identify students, according to Blair.

The University has never seen SEVIS records terminated like this before, according to Linda Melville, the director of international student and scholar services at UNM’s Global Education Office. A visa revocation does not typically mean a student has to leave the country, she said, but with a SEVIS record termination, it is less clear.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s connected to anything I know about that’s regulatory,” Melville said. “The lack of due process is really freaking everybody out. It’s all very disturbing.”

According to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, there are four consequences after a SEVIS record termination: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents may investigate to ensure the departure of a student, the student loses on- or off-campus employment authorization, the student cannot reenter the U.S. if they leave, and dependent records are terminated.

UNM discovered the record terminations on Tuesday, April 8, during a routine SEVIS database check, according to Blair. The federal government notified neither the University nor the students impacted, Blair said.

“It’s kind of left us all confused, because what does it mean?” Melville said. “If your record’s over — but you haven’t been notified or we haven’t been notified — what does that all mean?”

The Global Education Office is waiting to see how the record revocations will play out in court, and it will continue to send out guidance to international students. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan announced a lawsuit April 10 on behalf of international students at Michigan schools whose visas were revoked, according to CBS.

In the past, SEVIS records were only terminated when UNM itself needed to take action, according to Melville, who has been working in international education for over 20 years.

“They were doing something to actively break the rules that we knew about, and we had to terminate the record,” Melville said.

This would also happen if students finished their time and had an expired SEVIS record, she said. But having an expired visa doesn’t automatically mean that a person is unlawfully in the U.S., Melville said.

“There’s never been: ‘Your visa has been revoked. Now your status is over,’” Melville said.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department had revoked 300 or more student visas. As of Friday, April 11, that number is over 525, according to CNN.

It is unclear why the federal government terminated the UNM student SEVIS records, but the Trump administration has cited pro-Palestine protest affiliation as the reason for some students across the country being impacted, according to Axios. Previous arrests or convictions have also served as a reason, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Other times, the reason is unknown.

“People — who have zero criminal history at all, have no social media commentary, no history of doing any kind of protest against anything — are scared about going out of the country and coming back in for legitimate activities,” Melville said. “It’s creating a lot of fear.”

Now, Melville said, the Global Education Office is telling its students they should be wary. It is important for students to follow every rule and be extremely careful, she said.

“We’re sad that it’s true, but it would include things like making commentary on social media, if that’s what they’re looking for,” Melville said.

Everybody, not just international students, should also take extra precautions when going through U.S. borders, according to Melville.

“It’s a handful of people, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stop,” Melville said. “The other shoe hasn’t dropped yet.”

For students who have been directly affected by the record terminations, Melville said the first step should be to get an attorney who specializes in immigration, civil rights or both.

“If it makes sense for (students) and they want to leave, they can do that,” Melville said. “If it doesn’t make sense for them and they don’t want to leave, they should definitely be looking into legal action on their behalf so that they can stay — and it may or may not be possible.”

The best and the brightest come to the U.S. from other countries to participate in academics, and that is why the country has one of the greatest higher education systems in the world, she said.

“You don’t get there by excluding people,” Melville said. “You get there by allowing the people that are the smartest people in the world to be here.”

Lily Alexander is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @llilyalexander

Lauren Lifke is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on X @lauren_lifke

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