They came to the US for degrees. They fear being deported without them. [ csmonitor.com ]

The flava:

“If the United States government has national security concerns regarding a student and they feel that their visa should be revoked, they are within their rights to do that. But we are really trying to understand, in this new environment, what does that mean? What are these students doing that is triggering a national security concern?” says Sarah Spreitzer, assistant vice president at the American Council on Education, which advocates for 1,600 colleges and universities.

Most international college students hold F-1 visas and are allowed to enroll as full-time students. They are allowed to travel in and out of the country, and enjoy most constitutional rights. They cannot vote or receive federal financial aid or other government benefits.

International students have brought a financial boon to both universities and the overall U.S. economy. In a 2023-2024 school year analysis, 1.1 million international students added $43.8 billion to the economy and supported 378,175 jobs, the NAFSA Association of International Educators found. That was up from $26 billion a decade ago. Ms. Spreitzer is concerned that current policies could send students and researchers looking for berths in Canada or Europe instead. . . . 

The article:

https://www.csmonitor.com/text_edition/USA/Education/2025/0408/international-student-visas-deportation-ozturk-khalil