The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will temporarily restore the legal status of hundreds of foreign students in the United States. This development comes as the government works to create a new policy that will allow for the legal termination of student visas under certain conditions in the future.
The announcement was made during a court hearing in Boston, where a federal judge is overseeing a case brought by international students. These students claim their legal status was unfairly revoked as part of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.
Dozens of foreign students lost their legal standing when their information was deleted from SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), the U.S. government database that tracks more than 1.1 million foreign student visa holders. SEVIS monitors students' academic progress, addresses, and visa compliance. Once a student's record is removed from SEVIS, they become vulnerable to deportation.
Since the start of the Trump presidency, over 4,700 students' records have reportedly been removed from SEVIS, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), which manages SEVIS, has argued that any criminal offense could justify a student's loss of legal status. However, many students who sued claim their records were erased for charges that were either dismissed or based on minor infractions that should not have affected their status.
Court Grants Temporary Protections
In one notable case, Boston University student Carrie Zheng received a temporary injunction from a federal judge, halting government actions against her until her SEVIS record is fully reinstated. Zheng is one of more than 200 students who have had their records restored after court intervention.
During the Friday hearing, Judge F. Dennis Saylor was informed that ICE is drafting a new policy to establish clear rules for when a student's SEVIS record can be terminated. An ICE email confirmed that the agency is "developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations."
ICE clarified that while it will maintain or reinstate affected students' records for now, it still retains the authority to terminate records if students are involved in activities that could lead to deportation.
Judge Saylor has extended a temporary restraining order preventing the arrest or deportation of Zheng until her record is officially reinstated. Lawyers representing Zheng declined to comment after the hearing.
