Today, during a court hearing in Washington, the Trump administration suddenly withdrew its decision to revoke international student visas and announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be making a significant shift.
Source: NYTimes
A Department of Justice representative stated that ICE is developing a new policy to provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.
Until that policy is released, the records of previously affected international students will be temporarily restored, and no additional modifications or revocations will be made.
Students Keep Winning in Court, Government Backs Down
Since March, a large number of F-1 international students suddenly received notices that their SEVIS status had been terminated, stripping them of their legal right to study in the United States. Even more absurdly, these notices often came without any warning or clear explanation.
Among those whose status was terminated, some had only minor traffic or other infractions on their records; others could find no apparent reason at all and had no idea why they were targeted.
Source: AP
Such a “one-size-fits-all” vague approach sparked strong dissatisfaction among international students and widespread discussion and controversy across all sectors of society. Many international students did not sit idly by, but successively took up legal weapons to defend their rights.
So far, the ICE’s maneuver of revoking visas has triggered over 100 lawsuits across the United States, and in at least 23 states, more than 50 judges have issued temporary restraining orders, ruling the government’s actions illegal and ordering the suspension of the revocation measures.
Last Friday, a federal judge in Georgia issued a temporary restraining order, directing the Trump administration to restore the legal status of 133 international students by this Tuesday.
Source: Fox News
The lawyers who filed the lawsuits stated: “The Constitution protects every person on U.S. soil, so the Trump administration cannot ignore due process and threaten students with unjust measures such as loss of immigration status, arrest, and deportation.”
After facing intense scrutiny from courts across the country, the Trump administration finally responded today, allowing the international students who had been unjustly targeted to temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.
Many international students whose status was previously terminated have already reported online that they received notifications from their schools or lawyers: their SEVIS status has been restored!
If any students previously encountered status termination issues, please promptly contact your school or lawyer to confirm your latest situation and the next steps for preparation.
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