The Trump administration announced on Friday that it would temporarily restore the legal status of hundreds of foreign students in the U.S., even as it works on a new policy that may allow for the future termination of their legal status.
The announcement came during a federal court hearing in Boston, where a judge is overseeing a lawsuit filed by international students challenging the administration’s actions. The students claim their legal status was revoked as part of the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies.
The Development comes after US suspends hundreds of Student Visas
Dozens of students lost their status after their information was removed from the U.S. government’s SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) database. SEVIS tracks over 1.1 million foreign student visa holders, monitoring their academic progress, address changes, and visa compliance.
Once a student’s record is removed from SEVIS, they are at risk of deportation. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, over 4,700 students have had their SEVIS records deleted since the start of Trump’s presidency.
SEVIS is managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has argued that students can lose their legal status if they commit a criminal offense. However, many of the plaintiffs say their records were unfairly terminated—some over charges that were later dismissed or for minor violations that shouldn’t have affected their visa status under the law.
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Court Intervenes to Protect Affected Students
In one case, Boston University student Carrie Zheng received a temporary court order shielding her from removal while her SEVIS record is reinstated. Zheng is among more than 200 students who had their records restored through legal action.
At Friday’s hearing, ICE informed the court that it is drafting a new policy to guide when and how SEVIS records can be terminated. According to an internal email, the agency is “developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.”
ICE has agreed to either keep Zheng’s and other affected students’ SEVIS records active or reinstate their previous statuses. However, it maintained that it reserves the right to revoke student records if individuals are found to be involved in activities that warrant deportation.
Judge F. Dennis Saylor issued a temporary restraining order blocking the government from detaining or deporting Zheng while her status is reviewed. Zheng’s legal team declined to comment.
