Washington DC: The Trump administration has reinstated legal immigration status for thousands of international students whose SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records were abruptly terminated without formal explanation, stoking widespread fear of detention or deportation.
Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Kurlan confirmed in a California federal court that immigration officials are now developing a new policy framework to govern visa terminations more transparently.
The shift comes after more than 100 lawsuits were filed by affected students, many of whom were blindsided when their legal right to study in the US was stripped.
Federal judges had already issued temporary restraining orders against the Department of Homeland Security in several states, citing due process concerns. According to several reports, the mass terminations affected around 1,800 students across 280 universities.
Authority of ICE
While ICE is restoring SEVIS records, it retains the authority to terminate them again if students violate immigration rules or commit unlawful acts.
If a student fails to maintain their nonimmigrant status after reactivation, or engages in unlawful activity that makes them removable under the Immigration and Nationality Act, their SEVIS record may still be terminated.
Some students, whose records were terminated due to minor infractions like dismissed charges or traffic violations, have already left the country fearing arrest.
Critics argue the terminations were politically motivated, targeting students who had participated in protests or were flagged under vague ‘national security’ interests.
The US State Department has not yet confirmed if it will reinstate visas revoked under the earlier policy, leaving several international students still in limbo.
Legal advocates, including Professor Elora Mukherjee of Columbia Law School’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, called the reversal a partial victory but warned that the ordeal is far from over for many students still dealing with the consequences of sudden record termination.
Despite the restored records, immigration attorneys emphasized that students must remain vigilant, as ICE maintains discretionary power to deactivate SEVIS entries if new legal issues arise.
The Justice Department and ICE have yet to comment further on how long restored statuses will remain in place or how the new policy framework will function.
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