Wichita ? Every month a few international students in Kansas are jailed for minor visa violations, a Wichita-area immigration lawyer says.

In the post-Sept. 11 world, many of those detained students are from countries not directly linked to the Sept. 11 terrorists, said lawyer Suzanne Gladney. And she said they’re being detained for such violations as not taking enough course hours or not attending the college they listed in immigration documents.

In the past two weeks, Gladney has talked to six international students from Wichita State University or Butler County Community College who were detained by Immigration and Naturalization Service agents.

She said the six students jailed in the past two weeks come from countries including Colombia, Kenya, Ghana and Zambia.

“It seems like we have overreacted in a very broad way,” she said.

The result, Gladney said, could be a “chilling effect” on international students coming to the United States.

More specifically, it hurts Kansas, Gladney said. She said the higher tuition international students pay is especially important at a time when state budgets are being cut.

At Wichita State, where international students make up 10 percent of the student body, they pay around four times the tuition rate that Kansans pay, said Ron Kopita, vice president for student affairs.

Regional INS officials could not be reached for comment.

Between jail time, cash bonds and possible deportation, detained students pay a heavy price, Gladney said.

“None of these kids stayed in jail less than three or four days,” she said, often in less-crowded jails outside Wichita.

To get out of jail, Gladney said, they must raise cash bonds of around $3,000 or more. The money can be refunded if the student appears in immigration administrative court as required.

Those who post a bond can ask a judge for permission to leave the country voluntarily, allowing them to re-apply for re-entry. Those who can’t pay a bond are deported.