Trump admin to restore, temporarily, legal status of international students

The Trump administration will temporarily restore the legal status of more than 1,500 international students whose visas were canceled over their involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests, The New York Times reported The New York Times on Friday.

Joseph F. Carilli, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, said at a court hearing on April 25 in Washington, D.C., that officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement are working on a new system to review, and potentially terminate, visas for international students. Until that process is complete, he said, agencies would not make additional changes or further revocations.

In March, the administration began to crack down on foreign visitors, including international students who support terrorist organizations or threaten national security. That included canceling visas and beginning deportation proceedings against students who had participated in anti-Israel, anti-Jewish demonstrations during the wave of campus protests last year over the Jewish state’s war in Gaza following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.

The “zero tolerance” policy was part of a series of federal actions in response to Trump’s executive order combating antisemitism. The move, including the deportation of pro-Hamas demonstrators, began when the administration attempted to deport Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil for leading anti-Israel, antisemitic protests.

During Friday’s hearing, Carilli said the government is “prepared to file the policy change across other lawsuits, potentially providing some reprieve for students who had sued to have their visas reinstated and remain in the country through graduation ceremonies in the spring,” wrote the Times.

JNS sought comment from the White House and the U.S. State Department.

© JNS