The Trump administration has reinstated visas for hundreds of foreign students whose legal status was abruptly revoked, sparking widespread fear of deportation, government officials confirmed on Friday.
The reversal comes after more than 100 lawsuits were filed by students who lost their legal right to study in U.S. universities. According to a BBC report, Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Kurlan informed a federal court in California that immigration officials are now developing a new system for reviewing and terminating international students' visas. The policy shift follows an estimated 1,800 students and 280 universities being affected, as reported by Inside Higher Ed.
Many of the students whose visas were terminated had previously participated in political protests or faced minor criminal charges, such as driving violations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier stated that the administration would revoke the status of individuals whose actions were considered contrary to U.S. interests.
The sudden visa cancellations triggered panic across American campuses, with some students choosing to leave the country preemptively to avoid detention or deportation.
“Losing their SEVIS records left students vulnerable to immigration actions — and possible detention and deportation,” said Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School.
The Justice Department announced that students' records would be restored in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which tracks foreign students' visa compliance. However, Kurlan cautioned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) still retains the authority to terminate SEVIS records for other legal reasons. “If a student fails to maintain his or her nonimmigrant status after the record is reactivated, or engages in other unlawful activity that would render him or her removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” Kurlan told the court, according to NBC News.
Attorneys representing affected students have reported that many SEVIS records were restored in recent days. Nevertheless, legal advocates argue that the initial revocations violated students’ rights and seriously disrupted their education.
“What I’m hearing is that this is a reprieve for many students who have had their status reinstated in SEVIS,” Mukherjee said. “But this doesn’t mean this ordeal is over for the students who have had their records terminated.”
The Justice Department and ICE have not responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, ongoing legal challenges and shifting policies continue to create uncertainty for foreign students and U.S. universities alike.
