Deadline Set for Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The Trump administration has been ordered to reinstate the legal status of 133 international students by 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 22. The directive comes after U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) in response to a lawsuit filed on April 18 in Georgia.
Lawsuit Challenges Student Record Terminations
The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU and other legal advocates in the Northern District of Georgia, accuses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of unlawfully revoking student statuses by terminating records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is the federal database used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to track non-immigrant students.
Plaintiffs Claim Coercion and Wrongful Revocation
According to the complaint, the termination of SEVIS records effectively renders students undocumented and subject to deportation—even though many had committed no legal violations. Some plaintiffs were previously cited for minor traffic offenses or misdemeanors, but many had charges dismissed. At least one plaintiff, identified as “Jane Doe #12,” had no criminal or traffic record whatsoever.
“DHS’s act of unlawfully terminating SEVIS records appears to be designed to coerce students… into abandoning their studies and ‘self-deporting,’ despite not violating their status,” the lawsuit alleges.
Students Facing Graduation or Work Program Deadlines
The affected students include individuals nearing graduation or participating in work authorization programs, increasing the urgency of the court’s intervention.
Court Rejects Government’s Argument
Government attorneys argued that judicial relief would interfere with the executive branch’s authority over immigration matters. However, Judge Calvert disagreed, issuing an order that not only mandates the restoration of student status but also prohibits the government from using the plaintiffs’ identities outside of the current case.
Next Steps in Court
A follow-up hearing is scheduled for Thursday to assess compliance with the court’s order and determine further legal actions.
Keep up with updates on student deportations with us on Que Onda Magazine.