The US government has been forced into a retreat over its termination of international student visas, following a barrage of legal challenges that exposed the chaotic and arbitrary nature of the crackdown. Report agencies
Federal officials confirmed Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will reinstate the legal status of international students whose records were abruptly terminated in recent weeks — a move that had left many at risk of deportation with little warning or explanation.
An Associated Press review found that more than 1,200 students across American colleges and universities had lost their visas or legal status since late March. Many reported having no serious infractions and said they had been blindsided by the cancellations. Some fled the country, while others went underground, too fearful to continue their studies.
In federal court in Oakland, California, a government lawyer read out a statement admitting that ICE would now reactivate the immigration records of those affected. A similar admission came in a Washington courtroom, where the government signaled a wider rollback of the policy.
According to court filings, ICE is scrambling to create a new framework for terminating student records after widespread criticism of its opaque and seemingly indiscriminate approach. Until the new rules are in place, the government says, students’ SEVIS records will remain active — and ICE has pledged not to alter them based on the contested findings that prompted the terminations.
The reversal marks an embarrassing climbdown for the US immigration authorities, whose aggressive stance on international students has drawn fierce condemnation from universities, legal experts, and human rights advocates alike. While Friday’s announcement offers temporary relief, immigration lawyers warn that without systemic reform, students remain dangerously exposed to bureaucratic overreach.
