US federal judge temporarily blocks deportation of 2 international students in Oregon

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL - A US federal judge has temporarily blocked efforts by the Trump administration to deport two international graduate students in Oregon and ordered that their student visas be restored immediately.

US District Judge Michael J. McShane issued the emergency order Monday, granting a 14-day reprieve from removal or out-of-state transfer, according to a report by Portland-based television station KOIN.

The decision follows lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Innovation Law Lab, and immigration lawyers on behalf of Aaron Ortega Gonzalez, a Mexican doctoral candidate at Oregon State University, and a British dual master’s student identified as a Jane Doe at the University of Oregon.

The lawsuits claim that the students’ F-1 visas were canceled without notice. Their attorneys say the move reflects a broader federal effort targeting international students.

"The government terminated their F-1 student statuses without any notice or meaningful explanation," the television station quoted the lawsuits as saying.

During the hearing, McShane challenged government attorneys to explain the legal basis for the actions.

"How is this occurring?" he asked. "What regulation allows ICE to terminate the status based on nothing but an encounter with law enforcement?"

Gonzalez, 32, a wildlife researcher from Mexico, lost his visa status due to a 2014 border encounter, which occurred years before he was granted student entry.

"It didn’t matter when he got his visa, but it matters today?" Judge McShane said. "That’s a big red flag — get ‘em out of here."

Government lawyers claimed no final decision has been made and argued that removal from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database — created after the Sept. 11 attacks to track international students — does not equate to a formal visa revocation. McShane disagreed, calling the terminations both harmful and unwarranted.

Doe, 29, was notified via email on April 5 that her status had been canceled due to being "identified in a criminal records check," Oregon Live reported, quoting her sworn declaration.

The email told her to leave the country within 15 days. According to Oregon Live, she has no criminal history, works as a teaching assistant, completed an internship with EO Media Group, and was set to graduate in June.

"I am afraid the government will try to detain and deport me," she said in the sworn statement. "I am feeling scared for my personal safety and worried about my future."

Attorney Kelsey Provo from Innovation Law Lab, who represents the students, said following the hearing: "I think the judge understood what was at stake."

The legal teams contend the cases are part of a larger trend under Trump-era immigration enforcement, with more than 1,400 student visa cancelations reported at nearly 100 universities.

The court's temporary restraining order blocks US Immigration and Customs Enforcement from taking further steps against the students without justification and directs the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate their SEVIS records without delay.