Two people affiliated with Dartmouth College recently had their Student and Exchange Visitor Program records terminated, part of a wave of reported across the country.
The is designed primarily to monitor people who come to the United States primarily for academic purposes. Losing that immigration status means those students can no longer work as research assistants or pursue their graduate work. Although an overlapping concept, this is not the same as losing a valid visa.
A Dartmouth spokesperson said the federal government did not notify the school about the changes; rather, 鈥渢hey were discovered by Dartmouth staff during a proactive check of the [Student and Exchange Visitor Program] database.鈥�
鈥淒artmouth is in direct contact with the two affected individuals, and, more broadly, is committed to helping impacted community members connect with legal and support resources,鈥� Dartmouth spokesperson Jana Barnello said in an email.
Barnello declined to provide more details on the people affected, citing privacy concerns. But one of them is a 26-year-old doctoral student studying computer science, according to who are suing the federal government on his behalf.
Xiaotian Liu, a Chinese citizen, had not committed any crimes, or even a traffic violation, according to a complaint filed by ACLU of New Hampshire and Shaheen & Gordon.
Liu鈥檚 attorneys say he wasn't given any reason for the termination of his immigration status record. They also note that the university had little information about the revocation and administrators said it was "not standard or normal procedure."
They also allege that Liu鈥檚 due process rights were violated, because the Department of Homeland Security is supposed to notify students when their status is revoked and give them a chance to respond.
鈥淥ne of the issues is because the language that's been sent to these students is seemingly a generalized statement,鈥� Shaheen & Gordon attorney Ron Abramson said. 鈥淚t's not easy to understand what the actual basis is for the government's action.鈥�
Abramson said he hasn鈥檛 seen any direct evidence that Liu鈥檚 actual visa has been cancelled or revoked. What they are responding to at this time is the loss of Liu鈥檚 immigration status record, which is essential for his participation in his academic work at Dartmouth and his ability to maintain his visa.
Abramson and other attorneys representing Liu noted in their lawsuit that there are certain circumstances where this status can be terminated: if a student fails to take full courses of study, engages in unauthorized employment or is convicted of a violent crime. They say none of that appears to be the case here.
But Abramson says that Liu could lose the ability to attend classes because of losing his immigration status, which would become a potential reason to say he鈥檚 not complying with the requirements of his student visa.
Citing the recent uptick in of international students around the country, including a Tufts University student who was detained on a Somerville sidewalk, Abramson said they wanted to get a court involved in Liu鈥檚 case to make clear that 鈥渢hese actions are not grounded in law.鈥�
A spokesperson for the University of New Hampshire said the school is not aware of anyone on its campuses who have been affected, but they are monitoring the situation.
NHPR's Olivia Richardson and Lau Guzm谩n contributed reporting.
