Foreign Students
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will reinstate the student visa registrations of thousands of international students in the United States whose legal status had recently been jeopardized.
The move comes amid mounting legal challenges filed by foreign students across the country, many of whom faced abrupt visa terminations and the looming threat of deportation.
The decision was disclosed during a court hearing before U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston, where the case of Carrie Zheng, a student at Boston University, was being heard.
Zheng is among a growing number of international students suing the federal government for what they describe as arbitrary and unlawful cancellations of their immigration records.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, more than 4,700 foreign student records have been deleted from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-maintained Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) since President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20.
The SEVIS database plays a critical role in tracking the legal status of approximately 1.1 million foreign students in the country. It records essential information such as students’ residential addresses, academic progress, and compliance with visa conditions—including restrictions on employment and legal conduct.
The removal of students from SEVIS led to the automatic revocation of their legal status in the United States, placing them in danger of deportation and academic disruption. In response to this, ICE has now indicated a change in direction.
Just before the court session, Judge Saylor received an email from a government attorney stating that ICE is “developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.”
Until the new guidelines are formally issued, the agency will not proceed with additional terminations. Moreover, ICE has agreed to reinstate the SEVIS records of Zheng and other similarly affected students, effectively halting immediate threats of deportation.
The administration’s reversal is being seen as a temporary reprieve for foreign students, but legal experts and immigrant advocacy groups warn that lasting solutions will depend on the details of ICE’s forthcoming policy and continued judicial oversight.
