ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visas of at least 17 college students and alumni in Georgia.
Emory University told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco that at least four of those students studied there.
The Legal Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Javeria Jamil, said three of them studied at Kennesaw State University, and 10 studied at the University of Georgia.
“We do anticipate ICE showing up and arresting these folks soon, but everything is so recent, it hasn’t happened yet,” Jamil said.
She said some of those impacted are undergraduate students, others are in their masters, Ph.D., or professional training programs.
“There’s mostly a lot of fear right now, and there also a lot of uncertainty on what, if anything, they can do to protect themselves to make sure that they can continue their education,” Jamil said.
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She’s been warning students this could happen as the Trump Administration condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities nationwide.
The Chairman of the Georgia Association of College Republicans, Emanuel Hernaiz, supports the visa revocations.
“It’s a privilege to study in our grade schools, and, you know, many people fight for those student visas, and if you’re going to use that privilege to go against the interest of America, well, we should give those opportunities to people who actually want to support the county,” Hernaiz said. “Free speech is OK, but we shouldn’t allow violence and terrorist supporters to have those student visas.”
CAIR Georgia said some of the students they’re working with were not involved in any protests.
“So, it was unclear why their visas are being revoked. Except for, perhaps, a minor traffic violation like speeding,” Jamil said.
Channel 2 Action News received the following statements from area universities:
University of Georgia:
“University of Georgia officials are aware that several international students have had their student immigration status terminated. We will continue to provide our international students with timely updates and support as we learn more.”
Kennesaw State University:
“Similar to universities across the nation, we are closely following the developments related to international students and their visas. As KSU works to follow all federal and state regulations and the policies of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, we will continue to do everything we can to legally support our students.”
Emory University issued a more detailed response. CLICK HERE to read it.
To read more about student visa policies, CLICK HERE.
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