International students in the United States are being asked to self-deport, in a communication from the country's Department of State (DOS) owing to their campus activism, according to a report.
The report said that in addition to students who have previously participated physically in campus activism, even those who shared or liked ‘anti-national’ posts on social media have received these email communications.
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Many Indian students may also be among hundreds who are getting these emails for acts such as sharing a social media post, The Times Of India reported, quoting Immigration attorneys.
The crackdown, according to the report, is based on social media reviews being conducted by the US DOS. Even new student applications be it for an F (academic study visa), M (vocational study visa) or J (exchange visa) will also come under such social media scrutiny. Applicants will be denied the opportunity to study in the United States, the TOI report said.
As many as 1.1 million international students, including 3,32 lakh Indians, studied in the US in 2023-24, according to the latest Open Doors report. Open Doors, an annual survey by the Institute of International Education (IIE), provides data on international students in the United States and US students studying abroad
What does the email say?
“On behalf of the United States Department of State, the Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office hereby informs you that additional information became available after your visa was issued. As a result, your F-1 visa with expiration date XXXXX was revoked in accordance with Section 221(i) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended," reads one email to a student sent by the US DOS.
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“The Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Office has alerted the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which manages the Student Exchange Visitor Program and is responsible for removal proceedings. They may notify your designated school official about the revocation of your F-1 visa," it reads.
The email also asked students to self-deport using the CBP Home App, which the US President Donald Trump administration launched on March 10.
"Given the gravity of this situation, individuals whose visa was revoked may wish to demonstrate their intent to depart the United States using the CBP Home App," it read.
‘Visa not a birthright’
The email said that the students may also be ineligible for a future US visa.
"Please note that deportation can take place at a time that does not allow the person being deported to secure possessions or conclude affairs in the United States. Persons being deported may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin," it further read, adding that if the deported students want to return to America in the future, they would need to apply for a fresh visa.
“As soon as you depart the United States, you must personally present your passport to the US embassy or consulate which issued your visa so your visa can be physically cancelled. You must not attempt to use your visa, as it has been revoked,” it read.
The email communication to students comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent announcement about the revocation of several international students' visas for so-called anti-national activities.
"It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas...Every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn't," Rubio said at a press conference in Guyana earlier this week.
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Rubio's office recently launched an AI-powered app, "Catch and Revoke", to detect and cancel the visas of students found supporting Hamas or other designated terrorist organisations.
Rubio also stressed that the US visa was "not a birthright" and people who were found violating the terms of visitation would have to leave.
"I don't know when we've got it in our head that a visa is some sort of birthright. It is not," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS News's Face The Nation show.
India advises students to follow US laws
Earlier this month, the Union government urged Indian students studying in the US to abide by US laws following the arrest of the researcher and visa revocation of another student who had to self-deport to Canada.
While Badar Khan Suri, an Indian researcher at America's Georgetown University, was arrested, Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self deported to Canada after Trump administration revoked her visa citing security concerns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government told the Parliament that since January 2025 till date, a total of 388 Indian nationals have been deported to India from the United States after verification of their nationality.
Minister of External Affairs,S Jaishankar said in a statement laid in Rajya Sabha
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that 295 more Indian immigrants who are in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be deported to the country soon.
The government has, however, not received any information from the Donald Trump administration on the total number ofillegal immigrantswith Indian passports in the United States.
What's ‘self-deport’?
The US Department of Homeland Security launched the CBP Home app on March 10 amid the Trump administration's intensifying crackdownon illegal immigrants. The application features a self-deportation option through which undocumented immigrants can declare their intent to leave the United States.
Every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn't.
As per the US Customs and Border Protection website, CBP Home is a mobile application which can be downloaded for free either from Apple App or Google Play store. It allows access to several services and comes with “Intent to Depart” option.
“Aliens can now notify the US Government of their intent to depart the United States,” the website states. Besides this, one can also check estimated border wait times and apply for a provisional I-94 prior to arrival, through CBP Home app.
First Published
:
30 Mar 2025, 05:54 AM IST
