Lisa was enjoying takeout at a friend's house when she received an alarming email from her university. The subject line read: “ISS International Student Services is writing to inform you that your SEVIS record was terminated…” Initially, the wording seemed foreign and unsettling. She read the message again, convinced it had to be a scam—too absurd to be real. Lisa, an international student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was just a month away from graduation. She chose to use a pseudonym for this story due to fears of retaliation and ongoing legal concerns.
Before going to sleep that night, Lisa stumbled upon similar termination notices posted on social media. These posts helped her grasp the gravity of her situation: with her Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record terminated, she was now considered out of status in the United States. Remaining in the country could mean violating immigration laws. The Department of Homeland Security oversees the SEVIS database, which tracks international students and scholars on F, M, and J visas. Once a SEVIS record is terminated, a student’s legal status is instantly invalidated, requiring them to either leave the US within a typical grace period of 15 days or take steps to restore their status. Failure to do so risks deportation and future visa restrictions.
Desperate for answers, Lisa delved into comment sections, joined group chats, and searched for patterns among other affected students. A concerning trend emerged: most of those impacted had been fingerprinted, with some having been cited for non-criminal offenses. However, their termination notifications falsely indicated they had criminal records. It was then that Lisa recalled her own experience from a year ago: while driving home, she received two speeding tickets—one for speeding and another for failing to stop. She hadn’t noticed the police car behind her until it was too late. To dismiss the charges, she appeared in court where she was fingerprinted.
On April 4, Lisa became one of several students nationwide who received unexpected notices of SEVIS termination without prior warning or explanation. University statements revealed that at least 39 students from institutions like UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, Stanford, Ohio State, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, Minnesota State University, and University of Oregon were affected. An online self-reported data sheet, created by impacted students, indicates the issue may be more widespread, with students from 50 universities reporting visa cancellations around the same date.
This wave of terminations coincided with a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced the revocation of 300 or more student visas, labeling some students as national security threats. “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” he asserted during a news conference on March 27.
Lisa’s university had attached a screenshot of her SEVIS record in the termination email, indicating that her termination was logged on April 4 by a system administrator, citing her identification in a criminal records check and/or visa revocation. Shenqi Cai, a California immigration attorney and managing attorney at Lashine Law, recounted receiving her first call about a student termination on April 3. Initially, it seemed like an isolated incident, but by the end of the week, multiple cases had flooded in. She contacted designated school officials at various partner universities and confirmed that the terminations were indeed visible in the SEVIS system. Cai described this round of SEVIS terminations as unprecedented, stating that students were not given the opportunity to explain their circumstances.
Based on preliminary findings, Cai noted that around 90% of the affected students had been fingerprinted. However, she emphasized that the criteria used to flag students can differ by state, leading to inconsistencies in how non-criminal offenses are treated. For instance, a student may be arrested in one state without a conviction, as the determination of guilt lies with the judge.
David, a Chinese student who had completed his undergraduate degree, faced immediate job loss following his SEVIS termination. He requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation. In 2024, David was reported to police after a verbal dispute with his partner, which resulted in his detention overnight. Although the charges were later dropped, three years later, he received a SEVIS termination notice just as he was nearing the end of his first year of employment under Optional Practical Training (OPT). With his SEVIS record terminated, his work authorization ended, making recovery almost impossible.
Bill, another affected student who graduated in December 2024, found himself in a similar predicament. He had an incident in early 2025 where he hit another car while making a turn, while his driver's license was expired. He was cited for this infraction and appeared in court as instructed. However, on April 3, he suddenly received a notice from the university stating his SEVIS record had been terminated. This left him confused about whether to comply with his legal obligations or risk detention.
On April 4, he sought assistance from his university’s international office, which offered limited help. They recommended he write a personal statement to be passed to university leadership but merely referred him to a lawyer charging $150 an hour. Bill expressed his feelings of helplessness as he faced an overwhelming situation that felt insurmountable.
By Sunday evening, panic had spread among the affected students. Three hundred of them attended a Zoom info session led by Brad Banias, a federal court immigration litigator. Concerns flooded the chat: “Should we leave our apartments now in case ICE shows up?” and “Will an unpaid parking ticket affect us?” Banias condemned the terminations as a political move rather than a legal one. “It makes me angry to see 19-year-olds just trying to study, and suddenly a parking ticket they didn’t even know about shows up on a criminal background check,” he said. “Don’t let them convince you it’s reasonable to leave the country over a parking ticket.”
For Lisa, the future she envisioned was now in jeopardy. She was on the cusp of graduating and had accepted a job offer alongside a graduate school acceptance. Yet, uncertainty loomed over her. “I don’t know if I’m still allowed to graduate,” she lamented. “If I don’t get my degree, does the grad school still take me? Does the company push back the offer? Worst-case scenario, I don’t graduate. I go home and start college again. Four more years. And then what?”
