Quick Take
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The Trump administration will restore student visa registrations for thousands of foreign students who were previously fired for violations. The decision follows legal pressure and reassures students facing potential deportation or destroyed research.
In a dramatic turn, the Trump administration announced it would restore student visa registrations for thousands of foreign students who had previously terminated from the federal database due to violations.
The decision comes after weeks of intense legal pressure, with over 100 cases filed and more than 50 judges issue restraining orders blocking termination.
The termination, created from the databases used by universities and the federal government to track foreign students in the US, was causing panic among affected students. Many feared losing their legal immigration status and facing deportation. Some students were blocked from continuing their classes or research, even when they could have occurred just a few weeks before graduation.
Upon hearing the case, the judge expressed dissatisfaction with the seemingly arbitrary nature of the termination, expressing that it was not clear whether students could continue to attend classes or if they should leave the country immediately. The administration’s decision to reverse the termination was announced in federal court on Friday, with Justice Department lawyers reading it from a written statement.
According to the statement, the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) is working on a new policy regarding foreign students studying in the United States on an F-1 visa. Until this policy is issued, no student will terminate his online student visa record based solely on a criminal history check that flags misdemeanor claims and cases that have been denied.
The statement stated, “ICE is developing a policy that provides a framework for the termination of Sevis Record. Until such a policy was issued, the plaintiff’s Sevis Records (and other similarly situational plaintiffs) in this case were not currently active or currently inactive, and ICE changed records based on recent record findings.
However, it remains unclear whether the State Department will reverse its decision to cancel many visas for the same student. Federal officials previously told the judge that government agencies were “quality control” on these decisions. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled student visas for dozens of foreigners involved in the work of Palestinians, citing the disruptions of US foreign policy.
The recent wave of visa cancellations and termination from the Sevis database appeared to be targeted at students who have minor brushes in the law. Justice Department lawyers emphasized that ICE maintains its authority to terminate Sevis records for other reasons.
“Ice maintains the authority to terminate Sevis’ records for other reasons, such as when the plaintiff is unable to maintain his non-immigrant status after the record has been revitalized and engaged in other illegal activities that are removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the attorney said.
This reversal brings relief to thousands of students facing uncertainty and fear about their future in the United States.
