♪♪ >> Cathy: WE'RE GOING TO TURN OUR ATTENTION NOW TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S ACTIONS ON IMMIGRATION AND DEPORTATION AND HOW IT IS AFFECTING IMMIGRANTS AND FOREIGN STUDENTS IN MINNESOTA.

BECKY DERNBACH IS PART OF A TEAM OF REPORTERS WHO HAVE BEEN COVERING THIS COMPLEX ISSUE FOR THE SAHAN JOURNAL.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.

>> Cathy: OH, GOSH, MPR'S IMMIGRATION REPORTER SAID THAT LIKE 24 STUDENTS IN THE MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM THAT ARE HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH THEIR STUDENT STATUS BEING REVOKED.

THE STRIB HAS 27.

I GUESS THE QUESTION IS HOW HARD IS IT TO DETERMINE WHO'S BEING AFFECTED?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S HARD TO TRACK.

EACH UNIVERSITY IS TRACKING THEIR OWN SYSTEM AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, DECENTRALIZED ND EVEN THE MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM HAS MANY DIFFERENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

BUT, YEAH, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY A COUPLE DOZEN STUDENTS HAVE HAD THEIR STATUS REVOKED AT LEAST AND WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S MORE TO COME OR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

>> Cathy: WHEN YOU SAY STATUS, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS FOR FOLKS, HAVE THEIR VISAS BEEN REVOKED OR WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THE STUDENT STATUS?

>> YEAH, SO A VISA IS A TRAVEL DOCUMENT AND PASSPORT THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ENTER THE COUNTRY.

ONCE YOU'RE HERE AS A STUDENT YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN GOOD STUDENT STATUS, AND FORMALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS YOU HAVE A FULL COURSELOAD, YOU'RE NOT WORKING WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, YOU'RE DOING ALL THE THINGS YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING TO BE IN GOOD STATUS AS A STUDENT.

AND SOMETIMES THERE MIGHT BE AN ISSUE WITH THAT IF YOU TAKE ON SOME WORK THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN ON OR AND THEN TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL WORK WITH A DESIGNATED OFFICIAL ON CAMPUS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STATUS, YOU CAN BE IN TOUCH WITH THE STUDENT BE BE LIKE, HEY, THIS IS OUT OF -- YOU NEED TO WORK ON THIS, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL IT.

AND INSTEAD WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IS THEY JUST GO INTO THE SYSTEM AND SEE THAT DHS OR I.C.E.

HAS TERMINATED THE STUDENT'S STATUS WITHOUT WARNING AND THEN THAT MEANS THAT THE STUDENT IS NOT LEGALLY AUTHORIZED TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY AND DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS COULD BEGIN.

>> Eric: DO WE KNOW HOW I.C.E.

IS TRACKING THESE FOLKS?

WHERE DOES THE INFORMATION COME FROM THEM FOR THEM TO GO AFTER THE PEOPLE?

>> YEAH, SO WE KNOW ABOUT TWO SPECIFIC STUDENTS WHOSE STATUS HAS BEEN REVOKED.

IN ONE CASE THAT STUDENT WAS ARRESTED.

THERE HAVE BEEN, AND WE KNOW ABOUT THOSE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY FILED FEDERAL LAWSUITS.

AND ONE OF THOSE IS THE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF INNESOTA, A TURKISH STUDENT AT THE CARLSON SCHOOL STUDYING FOR AN MBA.

AND HE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN FLAGGED OVER A DRUNK DRIVING CONVICTION AND SEEMS THAT I.C.E.

DID LIKE A CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK AND SORT OF CROSS-REFERENCED.

AND THEN YESTERDAY I REPORTED ABOUT A SECOND STUDENT, THIS ONE AT METRO STATE WHOSE STATUS WAS TERMINATED AS WELL.

THE STUDENT HADN'T BEEN ARRESTED.

THIS STUDENT IS FROM THAILAND, HE'S A NURSING STUDENT, AND HE ALSO WAS FLAGGED OVER DRUNK DRIVING CONVICTION.

AND IT SAID IN THE, WHERE THEY CANCELED HIS STATUS IN THE LITTLE COMPUTER DATABASE IT SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN FLAGGED IN A CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK.

IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING FOR THE TWO INSTANCES WE KNOW ABOUT.

THERE ARE SOME TWO DOZEN MORE THAT I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS ON, I CAN'T SAY ALL OF THE REASONS THAT THEY MIGHT BE, THAT THEIR STATUSES MIGHT BE CANCELED.

IF THAT'S ABOUT CRIMINAL RECORDS, IF THAT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN SOME EXAMPLES ON THE EAST COAST OF SOME FREE SPEECH ISSUES.

I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT HERE BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT HAPPENING.

>> Cathy: HOW HARD IS IT TO REPORT ON THIS IN IS THAT MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS ARE NOT REALLY TALKING, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO KIND OF GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE ACTUAL SCHOOLS.

ARE YOU FINDING THAT TOO?

>> YEAH, I MEAN THE SCHOOLS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY, THERE ARE A LOT OF STUDENT PRIVACY LAWS AND THEY ALSO WANT TO BE HONORING STUDENTS' WISHES.

AND SO, YEAH, I MEAN I THINK THAT IT'S CHALLENGING TO TRACK WHAT'S GOING ON.

SOME OF THESE, THESE TWO STUDENTS THAT I ENTIONED, THEY'RE CHALLENGING THIS IN COURT AND WE KNOW ABOUT A MANKATO STUDENT WHO'S BEEN ARRESTED AS WELL BUT I DON'T THINK ALL OF THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO CHALLENGE IT.

I'M HEARING THAT SOME ARE JUST MAKING PLANS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.

>> Cathy: WHERE DOES THIS END UP?

SO THE TURKISH STUDENT FROM THE U OF M WAS IN IMMIGRATION COURT TODAY, FRIDAY.

SO IS THIS AN IMMIGRATION COURT SITUATION?

IS IT A DISTRICT COURT?

IS IT A FEDERAL COURT?

>> IT'S COMPLICATED.

SO, YEAH, SO IT'S BOTH.

IMMIGRATION COURT AND IN IMMIGRATION THERE'S TWO TRACKS, THERE WAS LIKE A BOND HEARING TODAY FOR WHETHER HE COULD BE RELEASED WHILE PROCEEDINGS ARE PENDING AND ALSO THE REMOVAL TRACK IN IMMIGRATION COURT OF SHOULD HE BE DEPORTED AND THERE'S ALSO A FEDERAL LAWSUIT OF WAS THIS DONE IN A WAY THAT WAS COMPLIANT WITH THE LAW, AND THERE ARE SOME JURISDICTIONAL QUESTIONS THERE THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET WORKED OUT.

BUT, YEAH, THERE'S BASICALLY THREE SEPARATE LEGAL TRACKS GOING ON FOR THAT ONE STUDENT.

>> Eric: ARE SOME LOCAL COUNTY SHERIFFS COOPERATING WITH I.C.E., OR?

>> THAT IS A BETTER QUESTION FOR ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, YEAH, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME COUNTY SHERIFFS THAT HAVE SIGNED NEW AGREEMENTS ABOUT COOPERATING WITH I.C.E.

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WAS AT ISSUE IN THE METRO STATE CASE, THE U OF M CASE OR THE MANKATO CASE.

BUT, YEAH, THERE ARE SOME SHERIFFS THAT HAVE -- AND SOME OF THOSE AGREEMENTS ARE ALSO ABOUT SHARING JAIL SPACE WITH I.C.E.

>> Eric: SURE.