After weeks of legal challenges, student demonstrations, and growing opposition from universities and federal judges, the Trump Administration has reversed its wide-ranging effort that threatened the legal standing of thousands of international students in the U.S.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will reinstate the immigration records of international students whose student visa information was suddenly terminated, frequently due to minor or dismissed legal issues. This decision represents a retreat by an Administration that has prioritized strict immigration enforcement during its second term.
The abrupt mass terminations earlier in the month, which the American Immigration Law Association estimates affected around 4,700 students, caused widespread concern on campuses nationwide. Students were left in legal uncertainty without warning, as their records were erased from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). This meant they were technically no longer legally present in the country and risked detention and deportation. Some were barred from attending classes or using campus resources. Others, already in vulnerable situations, were detained or compelled to leave the country on their own.
Judges in at least 23 states issued emergency orders temporarily halting the government’s actions, criticizing the move as arbitrary, secretive, and potentially illegal. Over 100 lawsuits were filed by students, universities, and advocacy groups, alleging that the terminations violated due process and unfairly targeted students.
The Trump Administration’s reversal occurred just hours before ICE officials were scheduled to testify under oath in the court challenge. According to reports, a Justice Department attorney stated in court on Friday that “ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations,” indicating a temporary suspension of the practice of revoking records based solely on past legal issues.
Here’s what you should know about the implications for international students in the United States.
Who’s still at risk?
For many impacted students, the future remains uncertain.
The widely publicized cases of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil, for instance, which are connected to broader national security and foreign policy discussions, highlight the continuing uncertainty surrounding the Administration’s intentions. Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained in Massachusetts after ICE agents approached her on the street. Her F-1 visa had been quietly revoked days earlier, allegedly for “activities in support of Hamas,” though her lawyers contend that the real reason was her vocal support for Palestinian rights.
Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident and pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University, is facing deportation proceedings following a State Department order that revoked his green card—a significant escalation in a campaign that critics claim is as much political as it is legal.
While the government’s reversal applies to students with “minor” or “dismissed” legal infractions—such as traffic violations or dropped charges—it remains unclear whether cases like Öztürk’s or Khalil’s are covered by the Trump Administration’s reversal. ICE retains the power to terminate a student’s record for national security reasons or other breaches of immigration law.
The State Department, which separately revoked numerous student visas, did not respond to requests for comment on whether those cancellations are also being reversed.
ICE’s quiet expansion of campus control
The reasons behind the mass terminations of student visas remain unclear. Students across the country have reported discovering their status loss through school officials or lawyers. Several claimed they were never arrested or even aware of any charges.
Traditionally, universities, through designated officials, have been responsible for notifying SEVIS of changes in a student’s status. Under the Trump Administration, ICE has begun to exert more direct control, in what immigration lawyers describe as a significant change.
While ICE and the State Department have portrayed these actions as necessary to safeguard national security and enforce immigration law, critics argue that the crackdown is part of a larger pattern of pressuring universities to adhere to Administration priorities, including restricting political dissent.
Just this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that students participating in pro-Palestinian activism could face visa revocations for allegedly undermining U.S. foreign policy. This campaign has been compared to the post-9/11 surveillance of Muslim students and scholars, but with the use of new digital tools.