Minnesota’s international college students wrap up challenging year

Challenging year for MN's international college students closes

A tumultuous school year at Minnesota’s colleges and universities is ending with annual graduation ceremonies. The state has had dozens of international students face uncertainty over new immigration policies that included the termination of their study authorization in the United States.

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A tumultuous school year at Minnesota’s colleges and universities is ending with annual graduation ceremonies. The state has had dozens of international students face uncertainty over new immigration policies that included the termination of their study authorization in the United States. 

And in a few, extreme cases, they have ended up in ICE custody. Some foreign-born students have now canceled trips home this summer, too worried that Customs and Immigration won’t let them return to campus.

Minnesota State-Mankato hit hard

What we know:

The Minnesota State University-Mankato campus was hit particularly hard during the recently completed spring semester.

MSU’s international student population topped out at more than 1,800 on campus this year, about 12% of the entire student body. Twelve of those students had their authorization to study in the United States terminated at one point during the semester.

School officials said they found out in late March when staff ran the names of its international students through the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System – or what’s known as the SEVIS database.

"I was shocked and of course, angry that there had been no communication about this," said William Coghill-Behrends, Dean of Global Education at Minnesota State Mankato. "My concern was more about what the impact would be on the students. These are young people and to randomly find out from one of our staff members that their record had been terminated without any advanced notification was shocking for them. It was really traumatic for them and they are young people."

Coghill-Behrends said the university worked closely with the students who struggled with uncertainty over their legal status in the US during that period of time. 

"They were anxious, they were nervous, they were scared. They could not believe it was happening," said Coghill-Behrends.

DHS eventually reversed course on its college campus immigration crackdown and restored many of the deleted records in the national SEVIS database, including for 11 of the 12 international students at MSU. 

Coghill-Behrends said the common thread amongst those who had been targeted, all of them were found in either police reports or court records for what he described were "minor infractions."

"I would not use the word criminal to describe speeding tickets," commented Coghill-Behrends.

Student detained by ICE

Dig deeper:

The university also coped with the ICE arrest and month-long detention of student Mohammed Hoque of Bangladesh.

Hoque was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on his way home from a coding class on March 28.  

The government began deportation proceedings against the 20-year-old, arguing a fifth-degree assault citation made him a public safety threat. But his legal team successfully argued in federal court that Hoque was instead targeted for his public social media posts supporting Palestinian human rights in the Middle East.

He was released from custody on May 6 following a ruling from a U.S. District Court judge.

Not going home this summer

What they're saying:

"Actually, I was a little bit worried, although I am a legal student here… but still I was a little bit worried," explained Akash Rahman, an MSU master’s degree student, also from Bangladesh. "The authorities didn't provide any reasons. So, we don't know what is going to happen. So that is why, yes, we were a little worried at the time."

Rahman said despite the worries, he has felt at home in Mankato since he stepped onto campus last fall and is looking forward to continuing his studies at MSU.

But he tells FOX 9, he will not be going home to Bangladesh this summer. Like other international students at the school, they are anxious about what might happen upon their return.

"A little bit sad," said Rahman about the decision. "I have my family. I have a little, 2-year-old daughter in my family in my home country. So, yeah, it is a little bit sad."

University officials said they are planning additional community events and gatherings this summer for those students who choose not to go home.