Eight University of Delaware sponsored visa holders have had their visas terminated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Three current students and five former students on post-graduation Optional Practical Training work authorization had their visas revoked.
The federal government gave UD no advance notice of the decisions, and the ACLU of Delaware says many of the students also didn’t get any advance notice.
The University in a statement says it is not aware of any UD community members being arrested or detained, and there’s no awareness of a federal law enforcement presence on campus related to this situation.
ACLU of Delaware Executive Director Mike Brickner.
"We would very much like to hear from students who have had their visa revoked, because we're very concerned about the constitutional implications for this that when you have your visa revoked, it should only be for very specific reasons according to federal law, and that the students should have due process that they have a right to be notified. They have a right to challenge that revocation," said Brickner.
Brickner notes those who had their visas revoked are in danger of being detained or deported at any moment.
He adds the visas revoked weren’t expiring, and there’s been well over 400 known cases of student visas revoked nationwide.
"We're also concerned that students might have their visa revoked for various unconstitutional reasons that perhaps they exercised their First Amendment right, wrote an op-ed, went to a protest or that people are being targeted because they're coming from certain countries," said Brickner.
Meanwhile, Delaware State University President Tony Allen has joined an amicus brief filed by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration opposing the policy of targeting non-citizen students and faculty.
