Recent videos on social media depicting immigration agents taking individuals into custody have caused alarm among many, including Aditya Harsono, who moved to the United States from Indonesia on a student visa. Initially, he believed media coverage might be exaggerating the situation under the Trump administration.
However, his perspective changed in late March when he was summoned by a supervisor at his hospital job in western Minnesota and subsequently arrested by federal agents. Harsono discovered that his student visa had been revoked due to a misdemeanor property destruction conviction. He is currently detained in a county jail and faces deportation, despite being married to an American citizen and having applied for a green card.
The Trump administration's recent decision to revoke over 1,500 student visas has raised concerns at college campuses nationwide. The affected individuals include students involved in activism related to the Gaza conflict, who the administration has labeled as disruptive. Others, like Harsono, have lost their visas due to criminal convictions, some for relatively minor offenses.
While few affected students have publicly shared their experiences, Harsono described the shock of his arrest and its impact on his family during phone interviews from jail. His wife, Peyton Harsono, has expressed the challenges she faces caring for their 8-month-old daughter while working as a social worker. The family has lost health insurance linked to Harsono's job, prompting his wife to seek financial assistance online, describing their situation as "unbearable."
The State Department has not commented on Harsono's case but stated that it is committed to enforcing strict immigration laws in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that visas of students engaging in disruptive activism, including vandalism, have been revoked, asserting that no one is entitled to a student visa.
Harsono, who arrived in the U.S. in 2015, earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and pursued an M.B.A. before his arrest. He was charged with misdemeanor destruction of property in July 2022 for graffiti on food company trailers, with the repair costs being less than $500. He expressed remorse for his actions, indicating he had mistakenly thought the trailers were abandoned.
The couple married in 2023 and applied for Harsono's green card the following year. Their lives took a turn for the worse with his arrest on March 27, following a memo from the State Department that cited his 2022 conviction as a threat to public safety. The memo indicated that Harsono would not be notified of his visa revocation before his arrest for operational security reasons.
After his arrest, deportation proceedings were initiated against Harsono due to his remaining in the U.S. after his visa was revoked. He described feeling increasingly despondent during his detention, reflecting on his initial impressions of America as a place that values multiculturalism and freedom of speech. He now questions whether he would ever feel safe in the country again, even if he were to obtain a green card.
Harsono fears the possibility of being barred from visiting the U.S. if deported and contemplates how his family might adapt to life in Indonesia. His wife has reported that he has missed significant milestones in their daughter's development during his detention, including her first words.
During a court hearing on April 10, an immigration judge ruled that Harsono could be released on bond, citing his eligibility for a green card. However, the government has appealed this decision, keeping him in custody. His legal representation noted that the government mentioned a previous arrest during a demonstration against police violence, which was ultimately dismissed.
Ms. Harsono struggles with the thought of her husband being deported, expressing that life without him would be excruciating. She has never traveled outside the United States, making the idea of relocating to Indonesia seem daunting.