North Texas immigration attorneys are working around the clock after international students had their F-1 visas revoked.
DALLAS — More than 75 international students across Texas are facing an uncertain future after the unexpected revocation of their F-1 academic student visas by the United States government.
In the span of 24 hours, Dallas-based criminal defense attorney Bruce Anton with Udashen Anton said he was contacted by five former clients, all stunned by the abrupt change to their immigration status.
“They went home, opened their mailboxes, and found this letter,” Anton explained. “That’s how they learned their visas had been revoked.”
The students affected had previously faced low-level legal issues—traffic citations, dismissed charges, or petty offenses—that had not interfered with their immigration status until now.
“They thought that their cases had been resolved, and they were working toward getting a legal status the correct way,” Anton explained. “It suggested that they immediately self-deport.”
The scope of the impact is still being uncovered, but so far, 19 students from the University of Texas at Dallas, four from Texas Woman’s University, 27 from the University of North Texas, and another 27 from the University of Texas at Arlington have had their visas revoked.
Anton said the pattern is troubling and describes it as an upheaval of the system.
“From my clients, I would say it appears that they’re targeting the Indian and Pakistani community,” he said. “Positive developments we’ve made in the last couple of years has been undone.”
Immigration attorney George Rodriguez with Saens-Rodrizguez & Associates echoed Anton’s concerns. “This isn’t what our country is based on,” Rodriguez said. “This isn’t America.”
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement Wednesday saying it would screen international students’ social media accounts for “antisemitic” content. However, Rodriguez questions how those determinations are being made.
“I’m not exactly sure who’s the antisemitic police, or what standard they’re using,” he said.
Rodriguez urges impacted students to act swiftly. He outlined immediate steps to take:
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Visit your university’s international student office with documentation showing you’re in good standing and try to be reinstated.
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Explore alternate visa options to maintain legal status in the U.S.
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Consult an immigration attorney to determine whether you need to leave the country immediately to avoid triggering unlawful presence.
“You’ve only got a few days, at best 24 to 48 hours, to try to get reinstated,” Rodriguez warned. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
