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The Trump administration is reinstating visas for hundreds of foreign students whose legal status was abruptly terminated, prompting widespread fear of immediate deportation, government officials confirmed Friday.
The move follows more than 100 lawsuits filed by students who lost their legal right to study at U.S. universities.
A BBC report on Friday noted that Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Kurlan informed a federal court in California that immigration officials are developing a new system for reviewing and terminating visas for international students. The policy shift comes after an estimated 1,800 students and 280 universities were affected, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Many of the impacted students had participated in political protests or faced prior criminal charges, such as driving infractions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated that the administration would revoke the status of individuals whose actions it deems contrary to U.S. interests.
The visa terminations sparked panic across U.S. campuses, with some students choosing to leave the country preemptively to avoid potential 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 student records would be restored in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which monitors foreign students’ visa compliance. However, Kurlan clarified that Immigration and Customs Enforcement retains the authority to terminate SEVIS records for other 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 students nationwide reported that their clients’ SEVIS records have been restored in recent days. Despite the reinstatements, legal advocates argue that the revocations violated students’ rights and disrupted their ability to pursue 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 did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ongoing legal battles and policy changes continue to create uncertainty for foreign students and universities across the country.
