From Campuses to Courtrooms: International Students Challenge ICE Deportations
- Isabela Rangel
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
BY: ISABELA RANGEL / CO-NEWS EDITOR
After months of turning student visa policies into an attack on international students, the Trump Administration is doing something unfamiliar – retreating.
On Friday, April 25, the Trump administration very suddenly acted to restore thousands of international student visa privileges to those whose academic careers have been upended by the government’s latest moves. Justice Department Lawyer Joseph F. Carrili has since reported that ICE will be revising the system used for terminating these visas, and, at least for now, will be restoring legality and student records for international students nationwide.
A statement announced in court revealed that immigration officials are working to revise their system, called SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), that will properly review and terminate records accordingly. By that Friday evening, there were more than 240 SEVIS records that were restored over 64 different schools.
This sudden reversal comes as both a relief and stressor for many. The Trump Administration has moved to cancel nearly 5,000 visas in recent weeks, and while the temporary fix is welcomed by those fighting in court, it’s stressed that it was just that — a temporary fix. “This is a Band-Aid, but not yet a successful surgery,” explained Clay Greenberg, an immigration attorney representing several students in New York.
Several universities have since released statements in solidarity with their students, urging students with SEVIS terminations to hire a lawyer and to stay in the United States over summer in fear that they may not be let back in for the following semester. George Mason University in Virginia advised students to reach out to their academic advisors to discuss continuing with their schoolwork. Similarly, the University of California said that they are developing ways to keep students on track with their education, according to UC Office of the President spokesperson Rachel Zaentz.
Although the government’s changes to restore SEVIS may ease the anxieties of many international students, it has not helped those whose legal statuses have already been revoked, such as Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a student who was detained on accusations of antisemitism and supporting Hamas. Khalil is a permanent U.S. resident and pro-palestinian activist.
In recent months, ICE’s aggressive campaign has been targeting international students by using alleged “criminal histories” or minor infractions, with some students even seeing their SEVIS status terminated even if they have never been convicted of a crime. After some students’ visas were cancelled after arrests that never resulted in charges, many concerns were raised among immigration attorneys regarding potential violations of due process.
While ICE continues to maintain that the scrutiny is necessary for national security, federal judges dealing with the increase in immigration cases are beginning to question the true motives behind the agency’s excessive raids.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened that students involved in Pro-Palestinian activism might risk having their SEVIS statutes revoked on the grounds of allegedly hindering U.S. foreign policy interests. Many have since compared ICE’s campaign to the heightened post-9/11 surveillance of Muslim students in the early 2000’s.
As for now, international students can claim their temporary but hard-fought victory. As the situation develops, both universities and students nationwide remain hopeful, and are continuing to advocate for their student body and the policies that are supposed to uphold their academic freedom. The Trump Administration’s retreat, though welcomed by immigration advocates, still leaves questions on what exactly their future policy changes have in store for students across the globe.