Eleven international students at Texas A&M University may no longer be allowed to remain legally in the U.S. after their immigration status was changed in a federal database.
It is unclear why the federal government revoked the A&M students’ ability to stay in the country legally but a university official said none had committed any dangerous offenses.
A&M did not name the students. In an email to university officials obtained by The Texas Tribune, International Student and Scholar Services director Samantha Clement said one of the students has already left the country. Eight of them are currently enrolled and three already graduated, Clement said. Ten students attended the flagship campus and one went to Texas A&M-Galveston. All but one attended A&M as graduate students.
University officials on Monday discovered the students’ immigration status had been changed in a database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security and used to keep track of international students and exchange visitors.
Once a student’s status is marked as terminated in the database, they are no longer allowed to work in the U.S. or re-enter the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents may also launch an investigation to confirm they’ve left the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website. Students may have a grace period during which they and their dependents must depart or apply for reinstatement, the site says.
In a statement Tuesday, A&M officials said they have contacted the affected students and the international student and scholar community on campus to provide information and support.
Texas A&M had more than 6,000 international students enrolled in the fall of 2024. They come from 137 countries, with the top five being India, China, Republic of Korea, Mexico and Taiwan, according to student demographics posted on its website.
The Trump administration has revoked the visas of more than 300 international students across the country in the last three weeks, Axios reported. Officials say they have done this in part because of those students’ involvement in pro-Palestinian protests last year.
