A Sudden U-Turn Restores International Student Records
The federal government has decided to reinstate the records of numerous international students after their data entries in a vital database were unexpectedly deleted. This decision comes after a wave of terminations that had left many students unsure about their ability to remain in the United States.
Prior to this announcement, several judges across the nation had already issued temporary orders requiring the records of these students be restored. These records are housed within the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to monitor international students’ compliance with legal status requirements. SEVIS also keeps track of any disciplinary actions or criminal charges involving these students.
Recently, ICE had terminated thousands of SEVIS entries, often based on minor disciplinary infractions discovered through background checks. Without a SEVIS entry, students face difficulties in adjusting or extending their visa status, with many potentially facing deportation.
This move marks another step in the Trump administration’s broader agenda to increase the removal of noncitizens, regardless of their legal status. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also reported revoking numerous visas, including those of students involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campuses last year.
The affected international students have responded by filing close to a hundred lawsuits in federal courts nationwide, as confirmed by a government lawyer in a recent court hearing. During this hearing in Washington, D.C., it was announced that the students’ SEVIS records would be temporarily restored while a formal policy on data revocation is established.
Brian Green, representing an American University student whose record was canceled despite no resulting charges from an arrest, stated that the government’s reversal is a huge relief for many. Green shared that immigration attorneys have noted nearly 5,000 terminated SEVIS records recently, though it remains uncertain if all these records will be reinstated.
In the courtroom statement, it was declared, “The SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be re-activated.”
Requests for comments from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have not yet been answered.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
