Overspeeding to shoplifting: Minor offences resulting in deportation for Indian students in US

Minor traffic violations and accidental shoplifting have now become the new set of reasons for US authorities to revoke the visas of international students. This comes after several Indian and other international students being deported for their involvement in pro-Palestine campus activism.

Students whose entry visas have been revoked are receiving orders from the Department of Homeland Security to immediately leave the country, a move which is not usual as students are often permitted to stay and complete their studies.

Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, said that some students who have been targeted in the recent weeks have had no clear link to political activism, a report from The Associated Press mentioned. Some have been ordered to leave over misdemeanor crimes or traffic infractions, she added.

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According to a report from the Times of India, dozens of Indian students in the US received emails from their designated school officials (DSOs) in the past few days, informing them that their F-1 student visas were no longer valid and that they had to leave the country immediately.

Immigration attorneys had reportedly said that students were losing visas for something as small as a social media post.

The email told the students that they if their visa had been revoked then it meant that the their F-1 visa in their passport is also not valid. "If you are in the US, you may need to make plans for immediate departure," it added.

Latest to receive such emails were Indian students across varsities in Missouri, Texas, Nebraska and some other states.

Some offences can indeed lead to deportation but such minor infractions have not really led to this, immigration lawyers in the US have said.

An immigration lawyer from Texas, Chand Paravathneni, is currently dealing with around 30 such cases and reportedly said that, "Revoking SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) for offences like drinking and driving, shifting lanes or over-speeding is extremely rare."

He noted how some of the cases that he is dealing with also involves infractions such as jumping a traffic signal or not having a licensed driver in the passenger seat while having a learner's permit. Paravathneni noted how in the past such petty crimes hardly led to such consequences.

Overspeeding to shoplifting: Old cases make for new targets

Several students are claiming that the offences over which they are being targeted are months or even years old, that too settled ones. A student, currently put up in Nebraska's Omaha, told TOI that he had gotten an over-speeding ticket two years ago in New York and the fine for that was also paid, the police station visit was also made. "I was never arrested," the student said.

He, who has completed his master's from Boston, said that while he regrets the mistake made, "it is unfortunate that I am being asked to self deport for a minor offence, and that too after so long".

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Another student from Hyderabad in Missouri confessed to having been arrested for drunk driving. He told TOI that he was directed to not consume alcohol for a year and to keep a check on the same, an ignition lock was also installed on his car. This way the car would "only start if I blow into a breathalyser and am sober".

"I have been regularly giving urine tests to the police, and all have come back clean," the student said, adding that he is shook by the deportation email. He is now in final year of master's in Information Technology.

Another Indians student from Austin, Texas, recalled how back in July 2023 he forgot to scan some items worth $144 at Walmart in Delta, adding that he was arrested for shoplifting. He told the media outlet that he was given a warning, following which his case was dismissed within a month on the basis of good academic performance and for having been a first-time offender. "I followed all instruction, and completed all the formalities. Why am I being punished?" he asked.

Such cases of deportation and targeting over minor infractions have also led university authorities to worry that this approach will keep international students from wanting to pursue education in the US.