EDITORIAL
Across the nation, international students are being deported and having their student visas revoked because of executive orders from President Donald Trump.
SUNY Plattsburgh felt the ramifications of this closely, with one of our fellow cardinals being one of the students who was forced to leave the campus and the country suddenly.
Students have been deported across the state. Students have been affected in Binghamton University, Stony Brook University, University at Albany, University at Buffalo and SUNY Cortland.
These are not isolated incidents — they are a part of a broader attack on the harboring of diverse voices on university campuses and throughout the education system as a whole.
The international student who was deported from Plattsburgh — who requested to remain anonymous — said to Cardinal Points that they were given only vague reasons as to why their visa was being revoked. No criminal charge, conviction or other infraction was cited as a reason for termination.
This student was not given due legal process, which they are guaranteed by the constitution as a person in the United States per the fifth amendment.
International students are college students — they are classmates, organization leaders and friends. They pay tuition, contribute to local economies and often attend SUNY campuses because of targeted recruitment efforts. To target them is to threaten all university students.
Deporting them — sometimes with only days’ notices, the case with the cardinal who faced deportation — is a betrayal not just of the individuals, but of SUNY’s mission as a whole.
“We maintain a nurturing, accessible campus climate for a diverse student body where each student is valued and supported in the pursuit of their educational goals,” SUNY Plattsburgh has stated on its website.
SUNY has redirected the deported student to The New York State Office for New Americans for help navigating the legal landscape, and has allowed the student to complete their semester online as well as providing various other personal resources such as counseling.
This is a helpful cushion for the students being targeted by the sudden revocations, but it is not a stand alongside the students against an unconstitutional executive order.
International students on campus are fearful, and said they feel powerless in the current position they’ve been put in.
“I believe in God, so what happens, happens,” an anonymous international student said. “All I can do is just try to inform others to ensure their visa information is up to date.”
It is a common sentiment among international students who are struggling to find comfort in America currently.
“I came here to study and work hard, but sometimes it feels like that is not enough,” A second international student said. “There is always this fear that something unexpected could happen. I know I am doing my best, but I still feel like I do not have full control. I also know other international students feel the same. We all just want to feel supported and not scared about things we do not fully understand.”
As the student voice of SUNY Plattsburgh, Cardinal Points stands in firm opposition to the sudden deportation of international students without due process — not just on our campus, but across all American campuses.
To allow the removal of students without full institutional support is unacceptable.
We call on SUNY administration, from the Chancellor’s office to the leadership at SUNY Plattsburgh, to stand with students and their constitutional rights to dignity and due process, regardless of where they are from.
