MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Trump administration has revoked the visas of 18 students at Florida International University.
The action follows a new agreement between FIU police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, initiating training for officers to enforce immigration laws on campus.
According to a university spokesperson, the Trump administration suddenly terminated the F-1 visa statuses of the students between March 25 and April 10.
Eleven of them are current students, while seven are recent graduates.
In an exclusive interview with Local 10’s Glenna Milberg in March, current FIU President Jeanette Nunez, the state’s former lieutenant governor, addressed the illegal immigration debate in state universities.
“When you see how all of that has played out in the last four years, and you see the direction that the country went in this time, and you see the discussions at the legislature, to your point, about being an incentive, the reality is that we have a responsibility as a state university to the taxpayer,” she said.
She added, “We have to make sure we have enough capacity and enough seats for our in-state legal Florida residents.”
While it is not yet clear why their visas were revoked, as of Friday, more than 700 students and recent graduates across the country have had their legal status changed by the U.S. Department of State.
However, FIU confirmed Friday that it has enrolled in an ICE program titled 287(g), which allows campus police to stop, question, and even detain individuals whom they suspect are illegal immigrants.