Baró says 11 are current students and seven are recent graduates on Optional Practical Training (OPT), a period during which students with F-1 status are permitted by the government to receive practical training to complement their field of study.
While Baró declined to explain why the students' visas were terminated, citing student privacy laws, she confirmed on Wednesday the university isn't aware of any cases where students have lost their F-1 visas due to their participation in protests.
FIU is among dozens of universities nationwide where students have recently had their F-1 visas revoked or their student status terminated by the U.S. government — often without clear explanations. As of Wednesday, more than 1,300 students and recent graduates had their legal status changed by the U.S. Department of State, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Jacksonville-based immigration attorney Ashwin Sharma explains that although many people use the terms "visa" and "status" interchangeably, there’s an important distinction.
For students already in the U.S., maintaining F-1 status — by following rules like enrolling full-time and maintaining a specified GPA — is far more important than the visa itself.
"Once you’re in the U.S., the visa becomes mostly irrelevant unless you depart and attempt to re-enter," Sharma explains. "That’s why a visa revocation doesn’t necessarily impact you immediately if you're already maintaining status inside the country."
He adds, "If you’re following the rules, you remain in lawful status, even if the visa in your passport is later revoked."
If a student's status is terminated from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), they typically must either apply for reinstatement or leave the U.S. immediately.
While neither the university nor government officials have made it clear how students are being targeted, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to track down international students and deport them for taking part in protests against the war in Gaza.
In some cases, immigration officials have arrested international students for their involvement in pro-Palestinian causes (including the high-profile case of recent Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil). Other students, however, have been arrested over legal violations, such as speeding or driving under the influence, which often occurred years earlier.
Last May, FIU students set up a "liberated zone" on campus in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Roughly two dozen students reportedly attended the demonstration organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at FIU.
On Thursday, the Miami Herald reported growing concern among student activists at FIU following reports of international students being detained nationwide. Some students say organizers have advised them to avoid activism-related events, while others are reportedly scrubbing their social media accounts.
"We have advised them that, unfortunately, due to current legislation and the current political climate, that for their protection it is best to not attend anything that could put themselves at risk," Bayan Abedulazis, president of FIU's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, told the Herald.
According to FIU's website, 3,500 international students from more than 140 nations are enrolled at the public university, which is the state's second-largest by enrollment and operates two main campuses in Miami-Dade.
FIU isn't the only university in Florida where students have suddenly lost their ability to remain on U.S. soil. On Thursday, the Independent Florida Alligator reported that four University of Florida (UF) students had their visas revoked. The reasons behind those revocations remain unclear.
As New Times previously reported, UF student Felipe Zapata Velásquez recently self-deported to Colombia after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a traffic stop late last month.
Zapata Velásquez, who was in the U.S. under an F-1 visa, was admitted into the country in February 2023 to study at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, according to an ICE spokesperson. He reportedly graduated from Santa Fe College in 2023. After that, according to the Alligator, the UF International Center helped him transition to school in Florida.
But while an ICE spokesperson says Zapata Velásquez's student status was terminated from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) in October 2024 owing to his failure to enroll (students must enroll in SEVIS at the start of each school year to maintain their F-1 status), UF spokesperson Steve Orlando has confirmed to New Times that Zapata Velásquez is currently enrolled at UF — and was also enrolled last fall.
Orlando declined to comment on Zapata Velásquez's visa status, citing student privacy laws.
