The Trump administration announced today that it would reinstate records for international students to study in the United States as it develops a “framework” for visa terminations – but our case continues.
PORTLAND – The Trump administration announced today that it would reinstate international students’ Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records, which are necessary for studying in the United States. The administration says it will develop a “framework” for visa terminations. The announcement comes just one day after the ACLU of Maine shared that it had confirmed at least one Maine student has been affected by terminations and suspects many others are facing the same.
On Friday, April 18, four ACLU offices filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking to represent over 100 students in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico who had their F-1 student immigration status unlawfully and abruptly terminated with no specified reason as to why.
“This is the latest example of the destructive chaos coming from the Trump administration that is upending lives throughout the nation, not to mention the underlying attacks on due process,” said ACLU of Maine Chief Counsel Zach Heiden. “Just this morning, we were on a call with a Department of Justice attorney scheduling the next steps in our case against these illegal terminations. Later this afternoon, the administration claimed it would reverse course. This chaos is causing a great deal of uncertainty, keeping people from making important decisions about their lives, families, educations, and businesses – and it leaves many people fearing they may be detained or deported at any time.”
“It is too soon to tell how today’s developments may or may not impact our class action lawsuit,” said ACLU of New Hampshire Legal Director Gilles Bissonnette. “We will need to confirm in the coming days whether potential class members who have not sued the government have their student status fully reactivated.”
“It is clear that the deluge of legal filings and initial judicial rulings in New Hampshire and nationwide have had a profound impact on the government’s decision to reactivate the SEVIS records of some students and allow them to continue their studies,” continued Bissonnette. “Many questions remain, including the criteria that will be used for these reactivations and whether this will apply to students who did not file lawsuits.”
