Trump administration abruptly revokes cancellation of more than 1,200 student visas – JURIST
The Trump administration on Friday abruptly revoked its cancellation of more than 1,200 student visas held by international students, announcing a dramatic shift by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a court hearing in Washington.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System is a web-based database tracking international students’ compliance with their visa status. ICE specifically stated that until they have issued a policy for SEVIS record termination, the students’ SEVIS records “will remain Active or shall be re-activated if not currently active.” AP News reported that “[m]ore than 1,200 students nationwide suddenly lost their legal status or had visas revoked, leaving them at risk for deportation” based on student statements and correspondence with school officials.
The student visa cancellations ramped up after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last month that the State Department has shifted its focus to cancel student visas for people against national interests, such as “terrorist sympathizers” who are “vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus.”
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), “more than 4,700 students have been removed from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-maintained [SEVIS]” since the start of Donald Trump’s presidency.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU of New Hampshire Legal Director Gilles Bissonnette shared that they will confirm the status of their potential class members before deciding how to proceed with their lawsuit against the Trump administration. She explained, “Many questions remain, including the criteria that will be used for these reactivations and whether this will apply to students who did not file lawsuits.” AILA Senior Director of Government Relations Greg Chen expressed similar sentiments: “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.”
ACLU of Maine Chief Counsel Zach Heiden complained about the legal unpredictability created by the Trump administration’s recent actions: “This chaos is causing a great deal of uncertainty, keeping people from making important decisions about their lives, families, educations, and businesses – and it leaves many people fearing they may be detained or deported at any time.”
