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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘I would not have left': An Indian student went home after the US terminated his status. Now he can't come back.
'A lot of people got scared,' said the student, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. Some foreign students made the wrenching decision to drop everything and leave. The PhD student was among them. He bought a one-way ticket from Boston to Mumbai, and left April 5. Advertisement What these students couldn't have known: The federal government would soon restore most international students' statuses in its Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) The problem, immigration lawyers said, is that the State Department did not automatically restore their visas, which allow international travel. With a revoked visa, anyone who leaves and tries to come back could be stopped by airport officers and barred from reentering the United States, or risk getting stuck abroad because of security delays. Back in India, the PhD student applied for a new visa May 9, but got denied two weeks later. He has an 'active' status in the SEVIS database, 'as though the termination did not happen,' according to a notice sent by ICE in June and reviewed by the Globe. But without a valid visa he is physically locked out of the country. Advertisement While the story of a PhD marooned in Mumbai may seem distant, it illustrates how compliance with the letter of the law doesn't always ensure protection. It also shows how difficult it is to bring people back once they've removed themselves from the country, said immigration lawyers. 'I did all the things right. I was compliant. They asked me to leave. I left the country,' said the PhD student. In doing so, 'I became a statistic to their self-deportation [initiative].' If he had to do it all over again, he said, 'I would not have left.' Lawyers said they generally advised students who had their statuses terminated this spring to stay in the United States, or made sure students at least knew their options. 'We know of cases where individuals did decide that 'I'm not going to fight,' for whatever reason,' said Boston-based attorney Elizabeth Goss. It's hard to know how many students left, or where they ended up. A sizable number seem to hail from India, which The State Department, in an email to the Globe, said that 'whenever an individual's visa is revoked, he or she may reapply at one of our consulates or embassies overseas at any time.' Advertisement But some students have been denied authorization for reentry, and in late May, the US The way Cambridge-based lawyer Stephanie Marzouk sees it, the Trump administration 'doesn't want foreign students here' and is 'pursuing this scorched-earth strategy of doing everything they can to dissuade people from coming to the US to study.' The Indian PhD student, who didn't want to identify his school, applied for his visa before the United States suspended new interviews, but he was rejected under Immigration and Nationality Act's Section 214(b) because he didn't sufficiently demonstrate 'strong ties' to his native country that would compel him to return home. He questioned why that concern was never flagged previously: 'I've done two visas before this [one], and I've presented my strong ties to them successfully.' 'My dad is a heart patient while my mother is a breast cancer patient,' he added. 'I'm not interested in leaving them.' Soon after his rejection, he created a poll in his WhatsApp chat group of Indian students and found at least 14 others denied for the same reason. Dahlia French, an immigration lawyer based in Texas, has met with around 11 students and heard of another 25 or so rejected on these grounds. 'Almost all are Indian,' she said. Charles Kuck, a lawyer based in Atlanta, , said he's only heard of two students who have been approved for new visas since they returned home, 'but I've got at least 60 who have been denied' for 214(b), and 'they were all from India.' Advertisement Reversing a visa denial is practically unheard of because of the judicial doctrine of Kuck advised clients who left not to reapply for a visa. 'If the revocations were illegal, which we believe they were, then these students don't need to go back to the consulate; they can just come in on their current visas,' he said. Simii, who asked to be identified by her first name only to protect her privacy, is a 30-year-old who graduated from Northeastern in 2022. The software engineer was in her third year of employment related to her field of study when she learned her SEVIS status was terminated and her visa revoked. She returned to India, only to learn her SEVIS record had been reactivated. But with only a few months left before her student status runs out, she doubts the government will grant her another visa. The PhD candidate had been studying neurodevelopmental disorders in his university lab in Boston when he found out ICE terminated his record. The reason he was given, he said, was 'otherwise failing to maintain status -- Individual identified in criminal records check and/or has had VISA revoked.' Around five years ago, he was picked up in New York state for driving while ability impaired, Advertisement 'I was 21 at the time, and that was definitely a stupid mistake,' he said. When he applied for a visa for his PhD program, he declared the prior DWAI conviction, then completed another round of medical and psychological evaluations before it was approved. After his recent visa rejection, he's struggling to find a lawyer. For these students, 'all that can be done is they can be better prepared to go back on a second consular interview,' and try to prove they do maintain strong ties to their country, said Kuck. Simii, the Northeastern graduate, said she no longer sees the point in reapplying. Instead, she's traveling around India before looking for a job. 'I didn't leave because I gave up. I left because I refused to live in fear, uncertainty, and anxiety created by the immigration system,' she wrote in an email. 'I am sharing my story so that other students who feel scared, stuck, or ashamed because of a system that failed them can feel seen and heard.' Globe correspondent Jade Lozada contributed to this report. Brooke Hauser can be reached at
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Breaking News Live Updates: Trump says Putin 'playing with fire' as sanctions pressure grows
Breaking News Live Updates: US President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin Tuesday that he was "playing with fire," taking a fresh jab at his Russian counterpart as Washington weighs new sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war. Trump's latest broadside showed his frustration with stalled ceasefire talks and comes two days after he called the Kremlin leader "absolutely CRAZY" following a major drone attack on Ukraine. Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, insisted it was responding to escalating Ukrainian strikes on its own civilians and accused Kyiv of trying to "disrupt" peace efforts. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified in recent weeks, but Putin has been accused of stalling peace talks. "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!" Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump did not specify what the "really bad" things were. Starship upper stage lost after 'uncontrolled reentry': live feed SpaceX mission control lost contact with the upper stage of Starship Tuesday as it leaked fuel, spun out of control, and made an uncontrolled reentry after flying halfway around the world, likely disintegrating over the Indian Ocean, officials said. "Just to confirm, we did lose contact with the ship officially a couple of minutes ago. So that brings an end to the ninth flight test," said SpaceX's Dan Huot during a live feed. US stops scheduling visa interviews for foreign students while it expands social media vetting The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said. A U.S. official said Tuesday the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal administration document. A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press says the State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting. 'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity" until the guidance is issued, the cable says. "Pakistan's entire system is based on terrorism": Sanjay Kumar Jha in Singapore JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha slammed Pakistan for promoting terrorism and said that their entire system is based on it. Interacting with the Indian diaspora in Singapore on Wednesday (local time), Jha said, "All the political parties are together. We are going to the world to tell the truth about Pakistan and its Army... Pakistan's entire system is based on terrorism, their way and their politics are like this only - to equip, to sponsor, to train them and then send them across the border." Speaking about Operation Sindoor, Jha reiterated that India's target was to eliminate terrorists who are trained, financed, and have a launch pad on the Pakistan side. "Our target was to eliminate terrorists who are trained, financed, and have a launch pad on Pakistan side. Accordingly, 9 terrorist infrastructure were hit, demolished with precision. This operation started at night so that no civilian is targeted. No civilian was hurt, no military infrastructure was targeted on 7th May when this Operation Sindoor started," he said. "Tura Secretariat will function as 'additional secretariat' for Garo hills": Meghalaya CM Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma declared that the Tura Secretariat will function as "additional secretariat" for the people of Garo Hills. Speaking at a programme at Samanda and Williamnagar on Tuesday, CM Sangma unveiled the architectural drawing of the Tura Secretariat. "Initially, the project was conceptualised as a mini Secretariat, but the government felt that the infrastructure should be upgraded to accommodate all department offices, the chief minister office, ministers office and bureaucrats", he said, while stating that the Tura Secretariat will ensure delivery of government services to the people of Garo Hills. "We want to stand with India in the campaign for peace": Panama Assembly President pledges support Panama Assembly President, Dana Castaneda on Tuesday (local time) expressed solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism after she held a meeting with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor-led delegation. Speaking with ANI, Assembly President Castaneda said, "We very clearly understand the message that they have conveyed. Panama wants to stand with India in this campaign for peace, and we hope that we can defeat terrorism. We have spoken about these issues in detail, and this will help us understand each other better in India's fight against terrorism," Tharoor informed ANI that the delegation presented a Kashmiri shawl to Assembly President Castaneda and in return the Panama Assembly President gave a symbol of the warriors of Panama, symbolising strength to fight against terrorism. "When we presented the president with a shawl from Kashmir, where the tragedy (Pahalgam terror attack) happened. She, in turn, gave us a symbol of the warriors of Panama, saying she hopes that we will fight against terror with that strength and that I thought was an excellent message to leave the National Assembly with," Tharoor said. Trump says Putin 'playing with fire' as sanctions pressure grows US President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin Tuesday that he was "playing with fire," taking a fresh jab at his Russian counterpart as Washington weighs new sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war. Trump's latest broadside showed his frustration with stalled ceasefire talks and comes two days after he called the Kremlin leader "absolutely CRAZY" following a major drone attack on Ukraine. Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, insisted it was responding to escalating Ukrainian strikes on its own civilians and accused Kyiv of trying to "disrupt" peace efforts. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified in recent weeks, but Putin has been accused of stalling peace talks. "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!" Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump did not specify what the "really bad" things were.
Business Recorder
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
US mission to Pakistan restricts all personnel movements, State Department says
The US mission to Pakistan has restricted all personnel movements, the US Department of State Consular Affairs said on Saturday. Operation 'Bunyan ul Marsoos': Pakistan destroys Udhampur airbase, Pathankot airfield in India, state media reports The State Department said it will reassess the situation this afternoon, adding that the Pakistan Army on Saturday advised all residents of the country to remain at home until further notice.
Bloomberg
01-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
US State Department Approves $5.6 Billion in F-16s for Philippines
The State Department told Congress it has approved a possible $5.6 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, a move that would send US warplanes to a key ally in Southeast Asia that has clashed with China. The proposed sale is for 20 F-16's, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., and other equipment including missiles, radars and spare engines, according to a statement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The Hill
20-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
US offers $15M reward for team accused of smuggling drone tech to Iran
The State Department is offering a $15 million reward for information linked to four Chinese nationals it says have helped the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) procure U.S. military equipment and drone technology. Liu Baoxia, Li Yongxin, Yung Yiu Wa and Zhong Yanlai are accused of facilitating the sale of U.S. goods to front companies based in China that would send the technology to Iran, according to a State Department release. Iran would then transport products to the IRGC and its linked companies including Shiraz Electronics Industries and Rayan Roshd Afzar, which use U.S.-controlled technology to develop and manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles, arms and weapons systems, according to the State Department. Manufactured products are then sold to governments and groups in allied countries such as Russia, Sudan and Yemen in violation of U.S. sanctions. Officials are now urging individuals with information about the illegal sale of technology to report information through their anonymous Tor Browser to receive a monetary reward.
