17 Student Visas Cancelled at AU and Troy

More International students in Alabama are getting student visas cancelled. UA doctoral student Alireza Doroudi was just the first of the state's foreign college students to be swept up in President Trumps wave of ICE removals. 15 students at Auburn and two Troy students have now had their visas revoked.

Jennifer Wood Adams, executive director of public affairs at Auburn, confirmed the 15 AU student's visas were revoked by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

In a written statement, AU voiced support for its international students, “Auburn’s Office of International Programs immediately contacted each affected individual to provide assistance and support. Our international students and personnel are valued members of our campus community, and we recognize the significant impact that visa or status revocation will have on them,"

At Troy University, Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. also acknowledged that two foreign students there have also had their visa revoked by the Trump Administration. “We are closely monitoring national developments regarding international student policies and remain committed to keeping our students informed and supported in accordance with federal guidelines,”

Hawkins, like Auburn's Adams, voiced support for the students involved and the foreign students enrolled in general. Each said their institutions will do what they can legally to assist the students involved.

International student supporters say a student visa can be cancelled for a number of reasons, some as innocuous as receiving a traffic ticket.

Doroudi, a UA mechanical engineering student from Iran, was taken into custody by ICE agents last month. He originally was jailed in Pickens County before being transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana. According to his attorney David Roza, a judge denied him bond on Thursday clearing the path for him to be deported back to Iran. Roza has told Louisiana Media the judge's denial will be appealed.

An international student at UA who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal from ICE, told Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa that all of her papers are up-to-date and legal, including her visa. However, she added that herself and other international students on campus live in fear of ICE agents showing up at any moment. "it's like a clock ticking," she said, "but you don't know when the alarm is going to go off."

Read More: Bond Denied for Iranian UA Doctoral Student Taken by ICE Last Month