Hundreds of international students wake up to an email asking them to self deport for campus activism [View all]

Hundreds of international students in the US are getting an email from the US Department of State (DOS) asking them to self-deport owing to campus activism. Immigration attorneys’ contacted by TOI affirmed this development and added a few Indian students may also be at the receiving end of such emails – for something as innocuous as sharing a social media post.

It is not just international students who physically participated in campus activism but also those who shared or liked ‘anti-national’ posts that are the target of these emails, said an immigration attorney.
This crackdown is based on social-media reviews being conducted by DOS (which includes Consulate officials). Thus, 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 US.

According to the latest Open Doors report, there are 1.1 million international students studying in the US in 2023-24 of which 3.31 lakh [331,000] are Indian students.