At least 1,024 international students at US colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to a review of university statements and correspondence with school officials by The Associated Press.

The administration of US President Donald Trump said it should be allowed to deport noncitizens over involvement in pro-Palestinian activism. But in the vast majority of visa revocations, colleges have said there is no indication affected students had a role in protests.

OPT program hopes unravel

The United States issues the bulk of its foreign skilled worker visas (H-1B) to students from India, many of whom are drawn to the US because of OPT (Optional Practical Training) programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). OPTs allow graduates to remain in the US for an additional two years after completing their studies.

One Indian student on a STEM OPT, who was recently approved for an H-1B visa, told DW he was arrested "while helping out an injured friend because he could not drive."

He explained that he was charged with driving under the influence in January, but pointed out that he was not convicted. After searching for a job for more than two years, he finally received an offer letter, but lost it because his visa had been revoked.

"I took out a massive loan to study in the US which I still have to repay. I worked hard for four years and I am at a stage of settling down. If I lose all of this over a mistake, then what is the point?" he said. "What am I supposed to tell my aging parents back home?"

Visa shock leaves students scrambling for help

The visa crackdown, widely seen as part of Trump's immigration agenda, is fueling anxiety among Indian students hoping to study in the US.

The speed and scope of the federal government's efforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges and universities across the US.

The US Department of Homeland Security has terminated the visas of 22 international students at the University of Michigan, according to a statement issued earlier this month.

The university has "reached out to affected individuals who ... are required to leave the country immediately. We are working closely with offices, colleges and schools from across the university, to ensure the impacted individuals understand their options and have access to resources," the statement said.

"For the last two weeks, we are tirelessly working to help the students," said Ravi Lothumalla, a US-based education consultant who is also counseling Indian students on their student visa revocations and helping them connect with lawyers.

Chand Parvathaneni, a Texas-based immigration attorney, whose firm has consulted nearly 40 students facing visa revocations, noted that "most of these cases are of minor violation charges."

He said many charges don't warrant deportation and don't imply guilt, noting that, "the government has not given the students a chance to respond back so now students are needing the intervention of the court."

Most Indian students in the US take out big loans for a US education. Along with mental stress, the students are now also having to deal with the hefty cost of legal fees, Parvathaneni said.

Many students resort to self-censorship

For Indian students, the wave of mass visa revocations of international students comes on the heels of two high-profile cases of deportation of Indian students — Badar Khan Suri and Ranjani Srinivasan.

Indian postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri of Georgetown University was detained in the US over alleged ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, his lawyer said. A court has put his deportation on hold.

Ranjani Srinivasan, a Fulbright scholar at Columbia University, self-deported to Canada last month after her visa was revoked following accusations of pro-Hamas advocacy.

An Indian PhD scholar studying at a US university told DW on the condition of anonymity that: "My university has unofficially advised us to remove any posts that are seemingly controversial."

"After two years, I was planning to go back home and meet my parents but in the present circumstances, I fear I might be denied entry to the US on my return."

Is US losing its shine as a study destination for Indian students?

The changed political environment and aggressive targeting of international students under Trump has forced many Indian students to look at the US as a study destination with skepticism.

For 26-year-old Bhavika Kohli, who wants to pursue a STEM-designated master's degree, the US had long been a top choice.

"Right now my decision-making has completely changed," she told DW, adding that even if she graduates in two years, she might not be able to get a decent job as an international student "in this kind of political environment."

Kohli said she is weighing her options now. "The incumbent government in the US has even compelled me to consider doing post-graduation from India" — an option, she said, she never considered until now.

A growing number of students from India share concerns with Kohli who see the current political environment as hostile toward international students.

"Compared to last year, we are anticipating a 20%-25% fall in the number of Indian students going to the US this year," Sushil Sukhwani, founding director of Edwise International, an India-based study abroad consultancy, told DW.

More than anything, the students' apprehensions are rooted in the uncertainty that comes with Trump's sudden and sweeping policy decisions.

Madhavan, who didn't want to give DW his real name, has quit his job in Delhi as he is slated to join a master's journalism program at a US university in August. However, he is anxious for his future as an international student under the Trump administration.

"There is an institutional level of change ongoing in the US. And considering that, as an Indian student, I feel extremely powerless and uncertain. If I am going there, I don't know what is going to happen," Madhavan said, adding that he should be planning his move to the US, but instead he is wondering if he would even be allowed to go.

"It's extremely uncertain and it is going to be challenging, since you don't know what you can or can't do." 

Edited by: Keith Walker