The US government has intensified its crackdown on international students, ordering those with revoked visas — including many Nigerians — to leave the country immediately.
An email, reportedly from the Department of Homeland Security and shared by immigration lawyer Nicole Micheroni, warned: *”Do not attempt to remain in the United States. The federal government will find you.”*
This development follows the Trump administration’s aggressive revocation of student visas, leading to arrests in some cases without prior notice. Many affected students claim they were not informed of the reasons behind the cancellations.
Immigration lawyer Dustin Baxter, representing over 100 students, noted that visa revocations occurred even without criminal charges or arrests. “Sometimes, it was just a minor encounter with law enforcement — or even a ticket,” he told CNN.
In many cases, universities were not formally notified. Stanford University revealed it only discovered the visa revocations of four students and two recent graduates during a routine check of the SEVIS immigration database.
Historically, visa revocations were initiated by designated school officers. However, Jeff Joseph of the American Immigration Lawyers Association says ICE is now taking direct action.
A notable case involved Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was handcuffed by agents shortly after her visa was cancelled without notice.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move under a provision allowing visa denial based on foreign policy concerns. The State Department emphasized its authority to revoke visas at any time and warned that monitoring continues even after visas are issued.
“We continuously check visa holders… and we will revoke their visas and deport them if they don’t follow the rules,” the Department stated.
