Trump administration reverses decision to cancel student visas

It is still unclear whether ICE will restore status to everyone it has targeted and whether the State Department will help students whose visas were wrongly revoked,

said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association

ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations. Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be re-activated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination."

It says

This unprecedented treatment of student status had caused tremendous fear among international students,

Ferise said

Marco Rubiosecretary of State

We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist who tears up our university campuses,

Rubio said when asked about Ozturk’s case

We should take a pause while ICE is implementing this change that plaintiffs are seeking right now, on its own,

she said

It seems like with this administration there's a new world order every single day,

he said

The world is watching, and we will lose students, not just by the technical revocation of their status, but by the message we're sending that we don't want them anyway and that it isn't safe to even try to go to school here,

she said

I've got kids who lost their jobs, who might not get them back,

he said

Tanya Chutkanu.S. District Judge

This is not a man trying to evade this country’s laws. He’s trying to comply with them,

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan told a Justice Department lawyer in Washington on Wednesday

If the Service does not reinstate the student, the student may not appeal that decision.”

The rules also bluntly declare

I think the government has been and is playing games,

Sooknanan said at a hearing Friday just before granting a restraining order in one of the student cases

To be sure, some Plaintiffs have future plans that might be impeded,

Murphy wrote

He’s either here legally or he’s not here legally,

an exasperated U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said at a hearing in Washington last week

I am terribly sorry to inform you that this morning, your record was marked as ‘terminated’ … indicating that the U.S. government believes you have violated your status,

the school wrote

On December 31, 2024, Elika was rushing to meet a connecting flight when Frontier Airlines staff refused to let her board unless she paid $100 for a carry-on bag. When she questioned this, Frontier staff shut the gateway door. Elika attempted to open the door to explain she would pay, resulting in a warning from TSA,

according to a lawsuit she filed

You have to understand what students are going through, and they may want to go home,

Aw said

I was worried that I wouldn’t even be allowed back in this country, even though I’m perfectly authorized to work and live here,

said the recent graduate, who was granted anonymity because he feared being targeted for deportation or having his visa revoked

Due to the increased risks involved in re-entering into the United States, we are advising members of the Duke international community to avoid international travel unless essential,

the university wrote last week in a memo to students and faculty

Traveling outside of the country can be risky,

he said, ... adding that

Under pressure from ICE, schools have been advising students they are out of status after SEVIS record termination, and in many cases disenrolling them as a result,

said Nathan Yaffe, an attorney representing international students in deportation cases