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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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In a sudden reversal on Friday, the Trump administration announced it will reinstate thousands of foreign students to active status after their records were terminated from a database earlier this month.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the sweeping student visa reversal in federal court, following weeks of mounting legal pressure.
"While we are hearing about the reopening of some individual SEVIS records, the systemic harm caused by the original unlawful terminations continues—and our case should move forward," Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents' Alliance, which filed a lawsuit on the issue Thursday, said in a statement to Newsweek.
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"Reactivating a record does not erase questions about the genesis of this unlawful policy. It also does not remove the original termination notation or the stated reason from SEVIS records, both of which can have long-term negative consequences for students. Nor does it prevent the Trump administration from reversing conduct and returning to these unlawful behaviors."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later said it had not reversed course on student visa revocations, but instead the active status of those visa holders.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment via email Friday morning.
Why It Matters
Around 5,000 students are estimated to have had their visas revoked or legal status deleted by the administration in recent weeks, putting them at risk of deportation. Around 100 lawsuits were filed, challenging the move.
What To Know
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Carilli told a federal court in Washington, D.C., that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was developing a framework for SEVIS record terminations, but that, for now, all plaintiffs in the case and other affected students would see their status restored.
SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It's a web-based system which DHS uses to track the immigration status of foreign students while in the U.S., often in the country on F-1 visas.
The sweeping revocation of these visas began nearly two months ago. First, with high-profile cases, such as Rumeysa Ozturk in Massachusetts before more reports started appearing of other revocations.
Hundreds of students then sued in various courts across the country, with many of them never having been charged or convicted of a crime or having only faced minor offenses, such as a speeding ticket.
Carilli said Friday that while status was being restored, ICE maintains the authority to terminate the status of those who do not maintain their immigrant status or break any laws.
The sweeping reversal comes after a judge in Georgia ordered the restoration of 133 visas last week.
...
Judge Chutkan Orders Visa Restoration for Graduate Student
In a separate case Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered an Ohio State University student's visa be restored.
Graduate Ahwar Sultan was arrested at a pro-Palestinian rally, which led officials to revoke his visa two weeks ago. Chutkan said this was not grounds for visa revocation.
Sultan, who was arrested in April 2024, later saw the charges associated with his arrest dismissed and expunged.
The judge's ruling came around the same time as the nationwide turnaround.
What People Are Saying
Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents' Alliance, in her statement to Newsweek: "Our case seeks a complete end to the unlawful policy, not just piecemeal fixes. This is why systemic litigation like ours remains crucial—to ensure full relief, prevent future harm, and safeguard students' ability to remain in and return to the United States without risk."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to Newsweek: "We have not reversed course on a single visa revocation. What we did is restore SEVIS access for people who had not had their visa revoked."
Charles Kuck, an immigration attorney with Kuck Baxter in Atlanta, told Newsweek: "It is good to see ICE recognize the illegality of its actions canceling SEVIS registrations for these students. Sad that it took losing 50 times. What we don't yet know is what ICE will do to repair the damage it has done, especially for those students who lost jobs and offers and had visas revoked. We await their answer."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Carilli reading a written statement Friday: "ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations. Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain active or shall be reactivated if not currently active, and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination."
What Happens Next?
Carilli said Friday that similar statements will be filed in the other student visa cases across the country.
Update: 4/25/25, 12:11 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 4/25/25, 12:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 4/25/25, 1:27 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 4/25/25, 3:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from DHS and Kuck.
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