Trump administration reverses controversial foreign student visa revocations

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Trump administration on Friday restored student visa registrations for thousands of foreign students studying in the US who had minor or dismissed legal infractions, according to local media.

The US Justice Department announced the reversal in federal court after weeks of legal scrutiny and over 100 lawsuits filed across at least 23 states over the controversial policy, Politico reported.

Judges in more than 50 cases issued temporary orders halting the terminations, which they called arbitrary and illegal.

The affected students, some of them close to graduation, were blocked from attending classes or conducting research, sparking fears of losing legal status or facing deportation.

According to Inside Higher Ed, which tracks student visa terminations, as of April 24 more than 280 colleges and universities have reported that over 1,800 international students and recent graduates have had their legal status changed by the State Department.

It remains unclear if the department will reverse its recent wave of visa cancellations targeting similar students.​​​​​​​

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as the Justice and State departments had no immediate comment on the report.

The Trump administration’s aggressive policy on revoking student visas, often without notice, and pushing for deportation has raised concerns about free speech rights as well as discouraging foreign students from seeking education in the US.