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even though i& #39;ve lived here since i was 4, i was categorized as an international student in college and for the first part of my MFA because i was on a student visa/my family& #39;s green card app was in process for years. this move against international students is so racist & cruel
US categories of citizen vs. non-citizen have always been racist & cruel & arbitrary—except for maintaining white wealth. i was not allowed to work most jobs while on a student visa. i was considered a "guest" of the country, a guest still required to pay taxes
my international student status was used by university admin as basically a threat: you must conform, assimilate, do everything "our" way, and be a top student, or you& #39;ll lose this opportunity. but it was all dressed up as: aren& #39;t you so grateful to be here?
in college i had to have regular meetings with an international students coordinator who was a wonderful person, but had the role of keeping tabs on me, my visa, my legal status. all of which had to be reported to the government. i felt constantly surveilled. i mean, i was.
if i recall correctly, the reports on me (as an international student) had to be filed with SEVIS, a database connected to the Department of Homeland Security as well as ICE
at the time, i just thought it was bureaucratic bookkeeping. i had no idea, as a college student, how much my legal status was monitored. looking back, i remember the international students coordinator herself seeming nervous at times—emphasizing the importance of these reports
