I know immigration law is complicated and hard - I wouldn’t have a job if it were easy - but these reports have got to stop until we all have some clarity on who is responsible for what. The Dep’t of State has no authority to deport anyone. That’s ICE through the Department of Homeland Security, usually in a process that involves the Executive Office for Immigration Review (the immigration courts, part of the Dep’t of Justice). To make things simple: 1. A visa is permission to apply for admission to the US. Think of it like pre approval for a credit card. 2. DHS (through USCIS and CBP) decides whether to actually admit a person, for how long, and in what category. 3. DHS is responsible for removing (deporting) people. 4. Because the visa is only relevant at entry, expiration of a visa has no effect on a person’s status in the US after they have been admitted. 5. Student visas (F-1) are “duration of status” visas, meaning once admitted, the individual is lawfully allowed to be in the US as long as s/he qualifies as a student. This is determined by DHS regulations and by USCIS through the SEVIS student information system, which tracks things like current enrollment and which relies on the individual schools for monitoring. 6. Hospitals have been known to pay for flights out of the country for very ill patients in order to avoid providing continuing care. This is in no way connected to legal removal (deportation) and has nothing to do with visas or status. Once outside the US (by any means), the individual would have to reapply for admission and would, if the visa were expired, have to apply to DOS (through the US embassy or consulate) for a new visa. It is only in renewing the visa that DOS takes an active role.
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