Boston University confirmed a number of student visas have been terminated, adding to the number of international students across Boston and nationwide whose visas were revoked.
It is currently unclear how many BU students have been affected. An exact number and additional information have not been provided by the University for privacy reasons, according to BU Spokesperson Colin Riley.
Riley wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press confirming BU is experiencing Student and Exchange Visitor Information System terminations. He wrote the BU International Students and Scholars Office is routinely reviewing SEVIS to stay up-to-date.
“The University immediately notifies affected students when we learn of the termination, answers their preliminary questions, and provides them with sources to find appropriate immigration counsel,” Riley wrote.
In an email sent to international students Tuesday, the ISSO confirmed that F-1 student records in the SEVIS had been terminated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program without notice.
The email wrote that the consequences of a SEVIS termination are immediate.
“We have connected with each impacted student individually to help them understand how a SEVIS record termination impacts their lawful student status in the US and have connected them to experienced immigration attorneys and/or legal aid organizations,” the email reads.
According to the ISSO email, some terminations may be linked to past immigration violations and arrest records, even for minor incidents such as traffic violations.
In an email sent to BU students, faculty and staff, BU President Melissa Gilliam encouraged the BU community to familiarize themselves with a BU Today article detailing the University’s available resources to support international students.
Gilliam also wrote the BU Police Department does not enforce federal immigration law and will not ask an individual about their immigration status. Personal information from student education records is protected by state and federal privacy laws, which is taken “extremely seriously.”
The email advised students to contact BUPD if approached by a law enforcement official on campus. BUPD will then work with the Office of the General Counsel and other University offices to address the situation.
“As an administration, we will protect our faculty, staff, and students to the best of our ability, and together, let us all continue to look out for one another,” Gilliam wrote.
