Trump Administration to Restore Student Visas Amid Legal Challenges

On December 16, 2020, the Trump administration said it will restore student visa registrations to thousands of foreign nationals whose the revocation of their legal status was quickly challenged in the federal court in Boston. Records that have been given to students in the ICE's SEVIS system which oversees visa compliance, recovery of those records and status of students is now possible because the ICE agrees to allow these records to remain active until a new termination policy is established. Since January 2020, over 4,700 students have been removed from the system since, and were at risk of deportation.

The decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of students from other countries, especially those engaged in pro-Palestinian protests. Over 130 students signed on to a lawsuit that accused the administration of unlawfully terminating students’ visas, and others, like German student Tariq Kandil, abandoned plans to study in the United States altogether for fear of being targeted for activism or social media posts. "I didn't want to censor myself," said Kandil, who turned down an exchange program to UC Davis.

A record-breaking number of 1.1 million international students enrolled in U.S. schools in 2023/24, but recent ICE actions and threats to deport protesters have shaken the community. Moroccan student Rania Kettani, who protested Gaza policies at NYU, scrapped plans for a U.S. master's: "I don't want to study in fear."

Some students, pseudonymous applicant Naveen for instance, remain optimistic that the climate will improve, while others criticize the administration's priorities. “It’s hostile now,” Naveen said, but he figures the deportations are aimed at “people that were breaking laws.” As for Columbia and Harvard's perspective, both institutions risk federal funding over allegations of antisemitism, racheting up the tension in higher education.